The Carnival
by The Satyricon
Summary: Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan go on their First Date at the annual Smallville carnival...and Beppo the Missing Link make it a date to remember...Much acclaimed FIFTH Story in the ICON AU Chlark series...Be kind, review kindly!
1. Default Chapter

**"The Carnival"  
By  
The Satyr Icon**

Special thanks to katieishere, chlarklove, and Veaglarwen for beta-ing the story, offering support, and just being cool all the damn time! Special thanks also for those that got sneak previews and chimed in with advice.

All characters, references, and other things pertaining to 'Smallville' are property of the WB, DC Comics, Tollin-Robins, Al Gough & Miles Millar, and J. Siegal & J. Shuster; I am just writing for fun, and I owned them, all would be good and clean in the World.

_**Prologue**  
_

Celebration in Smallville was in the air. All the harvests were in, and nearly all the farmers had gotten bumper crops from the land. Even those farmers that didn't get generous crops still had a good season. In Smallville, the end of the harvest traditionally meant two things: the Homecoming Game for the high school football season and annual carnival. Kids and adults were waiting for the fun could begin...

**_Chapter One_**

Fun arrived at the Smallville Fairgrounds in the form of the Grayson Circus and Carnival Show. Grayson employees, carnies and circus folk, freaks and geeks all did their part to erect thrill rides, set up booths with food or games, and raise from the ground four huge circus tents.

Every year, by midweek, the town was flooded with flyers and posters proclaiming "The Circus and Carnival Is Here!" in shops, stores, gas stations and bulletin boards. The newly re-named local radio station, KROK, sent out a jingle and message about the carnival every ninth song from its huge radio antenna by the fairgrounds. Everyone from Grandville in the South, Tabbiton in the West, and Kaitisnertown in the East knew that Smallville's carnival was Friday through Sunday.

But this year, there was something different than "The Great Graysons" acrobatic tandem on the flyers and posters. And, of course, it caught Chloe Sullivan's eye. Her father, Gabe, made a rare trip and dropped her off at the school, by the baseball field. She waved bye to him and saw at the poster on the school's chainlink fence.

"Beppo The Missing Link?" Chloe read aloud when she saw the main attraction to the circus. She loved the circus, but what she saw made her forget about the animals, acrobats, the sideshow, and the clowns that were also on the poster. The picture of Beppo, a chimpanzee, fully upright on his legs, looking dapper in a tuxedo and holding a brandy sniffer in one hand shocked her. His face didn't have the usual chimp features; there were rounder, more ...humanoid. Beppo qualified to create interest from Chloe for a simple reason: Beppo wasn't normal. "This is so cool. Wait untiI I show my boys!"

Chloe looked around. Her classmates trudged to class head down. '_Don't worry, Chloe. There's at least another thousand in town_,' she thought and tore down the poster. She folded it up and jammed in in her knapsack. Chloe's mind whirlled at the different possiblities and explainations about Beppo. She walked on, her boots seemingly cracking the concrete of the sidewalk and the floor tiles in the school with her inquistive energy.

Chloe could barely pay attention in her first class, Algebra I and her second class, American Literature. She already had her special reporter notebook filled with questions for whoever owned or trained Beppo and possible theories why a chimp like Beppo was alive. Her** Am**-Lit teacher gave the homework assignment to the class and Chloe scribbled it down in a separate notebook. She eyed the clock, counting down the last three minutes of class, waiting impatiently for the bell to ring and signify fifteen minute snack break. She bit on her pencil. '_One minute to go_,' she thought and got ready to bolt where her "boys", Clark Kent (who she had an obvious crush on and he a secret one on her), and Pete Ross (who she counted on to keep her sane around Clark) and she ate their mid-morning snack.

**Brrrrrrrinnnnnnnnnngggggggggg**

"Finally!" Chloe exclaimed, scaring the bejesus out of the football player that sat in front of her. She jumped out of seat and bolted out the classroom. Her teacher smiled; Mrs. Bryant knew that Chloe had a hot story.

Clovis Wilburn got the worst jobs. He was a cranky 45 year-old man, with a chip on his shoulder; he wasn't agile enough to be in the circus, unique enough to be in the side show, smart enough to run the game booths. He was labor, pure and simple. What made Clovis especially mad this carnival season was that he was the "go-fer" now for a creature that tested at a higher intelligent quotient. To be at the whim, to be at the beck and call of Beppo hurt Clovis's meager pride. Others in the company made sure Clovis knew his spot in relation to Beppo: Beppo was special. Unlike Clovis.

Wearing dirty overalls, Clovis opened the door to a deluxe motor home. He carried a basket filled with bananas and some other assorted fruits from local farms. The bananas, of course, came from the caribbean. But unbeknowst to the ones that bought the fruit from the farms, the soil was seeped with fragments of the meteors that pelted the town in 1989. The green slivers somehow irradiated the fruit.

"You son of a bitch," the carny said in absolute disgust and looked at Beppo, who sat casually on the couch, sipping brandy from a huge sniffer, watching an opera on Bravo channel. The carny grabbed a banana and threw it at Beppo, hitting the chimp. Beppo shrieked, rubbed his shoulder, looked the banana first and then at Clovis like the carny had done something positively rude. But it didn't surprise Beppo. Clovis had been torturing him in little ways since Beppo was acquired and joined the show. Clovis set down the basket, spat on the fruits, went back out and locked the door.

Beppo climbed off the couch, wiped off an apple and bit into it. When he chewed, the particles from the meteors were absorped into his tissues and somehow altered Beppo's already unique DNA structure. Beppo really disliked that damn dirty Clovis. He took another bite. His eyes narrowed. He hated Clovis. He climbed up on the couch and looked out the window and his brown eyes turned green. He followed the carny's steps. The chimp smacked the wall angrily and punched a hole in the wall. Beppo shrieked happily. He jumped around the motor home with amazing speed. Beppo stopped, composed himself, and sat back on the couch and took a sip of the brandy. He smiled, thinking about the new powers. He finished the apple, ate some more fruits, and waited for Clovis.


	2. Chapter Two

_**Chapter Two**  
_

"Hey man!" Pete Ross said when Clark Kent met him by the usual snack spot, a bench under a tree just outside the school building.The bench was perfect; Pete, Clark and Chloe could enjoy their snacks and still get back to their lockers with plenty of time. Chloe mentioned that it made sense that they were off to the sidelines from the rest of their classmates a few yards away in the Quad; they'd talk of the weirdness that saturated Smallville, and the three didn't want to be labeled like geeks or nerds. Clark smiled to his friend and did a quick tilt up of his head. Pete scooted over for his taller bigger friend.

"Whatcha got?" Clark Kent asked his best friend Pete Ross, pointing at Pete's brown paper sack. Clark already took out his snack.

Clark waited until Pete looked in the sack to use the heat vision he possessed to warm up the ham and cheese filled biscuit his mom made him for snack-time. Pete pulled out a Thermos and opened it.

"Protein shake," Pete said with a frown. "Football season. Starting Fullback."

Clark nodded and wished he was on the team. Whitney Fordman was the star of the team, an awesome quarterback, and who razzed Clark incessantly for not being on the team. Whitney razzed him so hard because he had seen Clark play all the sports so well in P.E. class. If Whitney was a captain for a P.E. team, he always selected Clark first to be on his team. Whitney knew he was being a pain to Clark. But he knew Clark was gifted sports-wise, although not gifted as he.

Clark knew he could be on the foootball team, any sports team, be the star at any position, but his father wouldn't let him accidently reveal that he had superhuman strength and speed, or any other powers and abilities he possessed. Plus, his father didn't want anyone getting hurt being in contact with Clark; Clark could be an immovable object and an unstoppable force. Clark just smiled at Pete, who wearing a SHS team Jacket, as Pete fought down a swallow of the drink. He really wanted to be a jock and wear a jacket, too. But the smell of the delicious snack brought him back. Clark showed his ham and cheese biscuit to Pete and Pete made a fake grab at it.

"Don't tempt me, bro!" Pete grimaced as Clark bit into the muffin with a flourish. "I'll trade my chalky drink for that biscuit any day of the week."

"I bet." Clark said after swallowing. Suddenly he turned his head. He tilted his neck and heard the familiar thump thump of Chloe's boots coming down the hallway inside the building. She was about ...30 seconds away, he calculated, and her stride was fast. Clark knew Chloe; she NEVER physically exerted herself. Something was up.

"Hurricane Chloe in approximently 10 seconds," Clark said nonchalently.

"You two make me laugh," Pete said with a chuckle. "You know when she's arriving, and she can't figure out how you depart."

Clark swallowed the next bite wrong and coughed. He sipped his orange juice and washed down the blockage. 10 seconds later, Chloe swung open the door with both hands and smiled at her boys. She was so amped that she actually ran over to them. She stood between them and waved her hands frantically so they could part; she wanted to sit between them. Clark and Pete scooted over.

"Why the raise in heart rate, Chloe?" Pete chided.

"Hey...I exercise," Chloe said as she sat down on the bench. She snuggled closer to Clark. "I just exercise My brain more, thats all. Besides...I do yoga."

"Yoga?" Pete said and made a grimace as he fought down another drink.

"Yes, yoga. It's enlightening," Chloe said and turned to Clark. "I'm now surprisingly flexible."

Clark looked at Chloe, and saw the challenge and the invite in her eyes. He was up for her challenge and accepted her invitation. Chloe was shocked that he didn't look away this time. He didn't blush like normal. Instead, he gazed back into her eyes. For the first time ever, Clark made Chloe blush. Clark smiled and breathed in the softsoap, shampoo, conditioner she used, the light scent of her perfume, the overwhelmingly sweet scent of her skin. Chloe grinned back, feeling warm in his vision. They looked at each other for a few more beats until Pete got sick of their unspoken, unacted-upon lust for each other. "So, Chloe... why did you run?"

"Oh," Chloe said and pulled away from Clark's gaze. She amped up again, but Clark wasn't the reason this time. She ripped out the folded poster from her ever-present knapsack. She unfolded the poster and grinned. "This!"

Clark and Pete leaned back and looked at each other as Chloe stared at the circus poster. Chloe usually had a cool "meteor freak" lead; "meteor freaks" was Chloe's term for people that were somehow affected by the meteors that had struck Smallville 12 years before. The people, usually teens, had gained powers that they used for evil purposes. Chloe, Clark and Pete not only investigated them, but tracked them down and defeated them. Or rather, Chloe and Pete were learning, Clark stopped the "freaks" by himself.

"You weren't this excited about the carnival last year," Clark said. Pete laughed. 

"I'm excited about Beppo, smartie!" Chloe elbowed Clark in the ribs. Clark faked a wince.

"What's the big deal?" Pete said, looking closer. If something excited Chloe, it had to be weird, interesting or both. Clark understood that about Chloe, too, and looked at the poster, searching for the weirdness.

"Just look at him," Chloe marveled. "Isn't he just...awesome?"

Clark and Pete looked at the chimp. They didn't pay attention to the posters much since there was rarely anything new added to the posters. They leaned back on the bench, looked, and nodded at each other: Beppo was weirdly awesome.

"Maybe Beppo is a mutant?" Pete asked and burped. Chloe held her nose and Clark buried his nose in Chloe's arm and breathed her in even more. It was intoxicating to Clark; Chloe looked at him and laughed as she thought he was just shielding himself.

"Gross, Pete," Chloe said. "And really? Mutant? That's comic book stuff."

"Maybe Beppo is the start of a new species?" Clark said, slowly puilling himself from Chloe's arm. She always smelled really good.

"Good idea!" Chloe smiled. That idea was tops on her list. Heck she thought, Clark is always on the top of her lists. "Hey...what if Beppo was a humanzee?"

"Humanzee?" Pete said, bravely taking another drink. '_I better get bigger, stronger, faster from this crap_,' he thought.

"You know," Chloe said as she giggled at the face Pete made swallowing. "A human/chimpanzee hybrid."

"Yuck...Now who's gross?" Pete said, and Clark nodded.

"A reporter has to have an open mind," Chloe reminded her two friends. She looked at Clark and smiled. "My mind is very open to possiblities and options."

"Umm." Clark blushed to Chloe's heart's joy; she loved making him blush. "Humanzee...Now I remember! I saw something on the Discovery channel about a chimp like this," Clark revealed. "I think his name was Oliver."

"Really?" Chloe looked over. Clark always seemed to surprise her. But she had been to his house, to his loft in the barn, and seen his wide array of books on varied subjects. He looked like a cute farm boy, but she had a feeling he was so much more. "Tell!"

"Well...I don't remember _everything_," Clark said to Chloe and she was crestfallen. "But, I know we could find more info in the Torch."


	3. Chapter Three

_**Chapter Three**  
_

Chloe was the editor and ace reporter of the school paper, The Torch, and Clark was a staff writer. Chloe thought he was good, but what sucked in her opinion was that he was late with nearly every story he wrote for her. She thought she really needed a way to get his stories in on time; she almost blew every deadline because of him. Pete was the sometimes photographer; 'sometimes' because he'd rather be behind the camera if the story involved girls, and if it didn't, he was behind his desk at home. Somehow, the paper did meet its schedule and was considered to be the best high school paper around, better than Grandville's, Tabbiton's, and Kaitisnertown's. Other than the usual, boring stories concerning the school, Chloe and Clark used the media resources in the Torch office to research "meteor freaks." For Chloe and Clark, Torch was their haven, their home.

"Do I have to tell you to meet me there later?" Chloe said with a smile.

"Do I have to tell you that of course I will be there?" Clark smiled back.

"Do I have to tell you two to _stop_? This drink is already making my stomach queasy," Pete said, shaking the Thermos. Clark and Chloe looked at him with some fear, as they both confided in him about each other. Pete knew he should back off a bit, but he hated to see his friends just suffer silently. "I mean...you two KNOW you will be together at the Torch later. Then you two will go to the Talon and sit in a corner booth and share a piece of pie, Chloe gets a coffee, Clark gets a juice. Then you two will go home and either call each other or talk on AIM until bedtime. Then you two call each other in the morning to 'check' if the other is going to school."

"That's what friends do," Clark said defensively, for reasons he didn't know.

"Yeah, friends," Chloe agreed, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Guys," Pete looked his friends solemnly, "I'm _dating _girls that I don't see THAT OFTEN!"

Chloe and Clark looked stunned. Pete just called them out on how much they saw of each other.

"We're not dating," Clark said. And wondered why.

"Yeah, Pete," Chloe said. And couldn't figure it out.

"Just making sure you two are at certain places at certain times, right?" Pete shot back. "Clark...what's Chloe's fourth period class?'

"Espanol con Senor Swartz," Clark said with a perfect spanish accent. Chloe clapped. "Gracias, bonita."

"Chloe...what's Clark's first period class?" Pete asked.

"Home Econ with Miss Evans," Chloe said with a giggle. "Clark in a little pink apron is a sight."

"Hey...," Clark frowned.

"You two know each other _too much_," Pete said interrupted, telling Clark and Chloe what they didn't know. "I bet Clark has an extra muffin just in case you didn't have a snack, Chloe."

Chloe looked at Clark. "Well?" Pete asked.

"Umm...did you bring a snack, Chloe?" Clark asked quietly.

"Daddy was in a rush...," She said shaking her head, her voice trailing off as Clark pulled a biscuit out. "And I forgot a snack again." Chloe took the biscuit shyly, unwrapped it, and bit into it.

"Since you were all-county on the chess team last year, Clark," Pete said with a smile, "you'd understand it when I say...check and mate!"

"Oh man...I can't stay!" Chloe said after swallowing. She jumped up. "I have to get Principal Kwan's permission to leave campus to do a story on Beppo." She looked at Clark. "You be ready to ...go with me," she finished slowly as Pete was already chuckling. "As for you." She looked at Pete. "Hush!"

"Later!" Chloe said, giving Clark the biscuit.

"Of course!" Clark said and watched her leave.

"Bye, Chloe," Pete noticed that Clark set the biscuit he was eating aside and ate the one she gave him. Pete chuckled and finally finished the shake.

Chloe scampered away from her friends. Actually, she scampered from her friend, Pete and the boy she really liked, Clark. '_No_,' She thought. '_really loved_.' She opened the door to go back into the school and felt the seat of her new cargo pants warm up. She stopped. She looked over her shoulder and Clark was looking at her. When she turned to completely face him, the warmth traveled all over her body. She waved bye to him. Clark waved back and looked at Pete. The warmth faded. '_That's odd_,' She thought for a second, went inside, and waited to talk with Principal Kwan.


	4. Chapter Four

**_Chapter Four_**

Chloe, Clark and Pete shared just one class before lunch, World History IB. The tardy bell for third period rang out and Clark was in his seat in the back of the class and looked at the chair Chloe sat in, four seats away, one row over. Her locker was just down the hallway,and she was usually the first of the three in the class. For a few seconds he was worried about her, but realized she could be still be talking to Kwan.

"Hey, bro," Pete said. He slid into his chair next to Clark; Chloe lost the coin flip battle to sit there (at first it was two out of three flips, but Chloe fought for more flips until she gave in to her bad luck at best of nine; she still accused Pete of cheating). He saw Clark's expression and knew who was on his mind. "She's probably finishing her closing arguments."

"Yeah, I know...," Clark said with a sheepish smile. Five minutes later, Clark tuned his ears to the hallway instead of to the teacher. He heard the stomps. He felt better. "She'll be here in twelve seconds. Late," he whispered to Pete.

Pete just shook his head.

Twelve seconds later, Chloe knocked on the locked door and smiled sweetly at the teacher, Mister Watson, when he cast his steely eyes on the glass pane. He was a stickler for rules. He liked Chloe; she was an "A" student but he shook his head. Chloe pressed the hall pass on the glass.

Mr. Watson rose from his leather chair and opened the door. "Always have a pass for the halls don't you, Miss Sullivan?" He said. She nodded. He took the pass and waved Chloe in. "Please take your seat. You're starting to interrupt the learning process."

Chloe hunched her shoulders and walked down the aisle. She saw Pete chuckle and she stuck her tongue out at him when she walked to her seat. She saw that Clark was smiling too and stuck her tongue out farther at him. She sat in her desk next to Lana Lang, who gave her a little wave. Mr. Watson droned on about the upcoming test and Chloe quickly scribbled a note, folded it a few times, waited until the teacher turned his back on the class and wrote on the dry erase board on the wall.

"Psst...Lana," she whispered and Lana looked over and smiled. "Pass this back to Clark."

Lana nodded, took the note and slipped it behind her to her friend, Felice Chandler, who took over Lana's spot as the Head Cheerleader when Lana quit the team. Felice looked at the name on the note (_To Clark_), looked at Chloe, thought 'Geeky Lovers', and passed the note to the usually dieting Jodi Melville. Jodi popped a Dexatrim pill in her mouth, built up salivia to swallow it, smiled at Pete who had just watched what she did, and she passed the note to Clark. Chloe looked back and smiled at Clark, who gave her one of his own. Clark opened the note, and began to read it. Mr. Watson turned around and spotted Clark.

"Have something to share with the class, Mr. Kent?" The teacher asked and quickly walked down the aisle, his steely eyes on the note. Clark froze. There were some "ooo's" said by some of the class; Mr. Watson was a hardcase. "Give it to me. I will read to the class what you thought was more important than Poland's military might in the opening stages of World War Two." Mr. Watson held out his palm and Clark laid it into his palm. 

Chloe was chagrined that Clark was busted, but the note written in her quick short-hand just referred to going to the Torch after class, getting info on Beppo, getting out of school early, doing the story on Beppo over the weekend and something about their theories. Nothing incriminating. She looked back at Clark and wondered why he was sinking into his chair. She thought if Clark was freaking out, she should worry. The teacher walked to the front of the class, laid the note on the podium, and opened it.

"Ahem," Mr. Watson said, drawing the attention of the class. He looked at the note and read. "_Kent_:...," the teacher began and looked back over to Clark and gave him a smarmy smile. "_Meet me in the torch after class, Kwan gave us extra free period, so lets use it...I'm so excited_...," and this time Mr. Watson looked at Chloe. She realized just how...naughty that sounded and she sank into her chair.

The teacher shook his head and read, "_So lets get info on your idea and mine, go over it throughly, go and do it, and then keep at it over weekend, until both satisfied_." 

Mr. Watson took out a hankerchief and wiped his brow. "_Your idea was pretty mindblowing! I thought I was the one with freak-y ideas...c-ya soon, Chloe_." The teacher rubbed his temples and the class erupted in whoops and whistles.

In unison, Chloe Sullivan and Clark Kent died of embarassment at exactly 10:36 AM, Thursday, in their History 1B class at Smallville High School, Smallville Kansas. There was no autopsy.

"I wish I could disappear," Chloe groaned and laid her forehead on her desk.

"I wish I could help," Alicia Baker said, turning in her seat in front of Chloe, looking down at Chloe's hair. "I really do."

"Maybe me and Whitney can get some time in Torch," Lana said with an impish grin to Chloe. "I thought you two just worked on stories. I didn't know the real reason you two always stayed after school."

Chloe almost said, "I wish," but just rubbed her cheek along the desk when she looked back at Clark.

"Nice," the guy that sat next to Clark said and patted Clark's shoulder. Some girl said "Hook it up" loudly and the class started clapping and chanting out Chloe's and Clark's name. Clark caught Chloe's mortified look. He matched it. She winced when he let his head drop to the desk and smacked it with a loud thunk. Pete was laughing hard.

Mr. Watson lost all semblance of decorum in his classroom, because of a note between two of his best students. After he calmed everyone down, he simply passed the history study guide copies to the students in the front of the rows, said the guide was due the next day, and work on it silently in class. He didn't write up detention slips to Chloe nor Clark; he felt they learned the roughest way not to pass notes in his class. He sat behind his desk, wished it was summertime, not fall, wished he was on a beach, not in Smallvile, and wished the plastic pitcher on the desktop was contained margarita, not water.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five**  
_  
The bell rang, ending class, and Chloe and Clark slinked off together to some claps of the students remaining in the classroom. Chloe stomped with her head down and Clark followed behind her, hands on her shoulders, guiding her through the hallway traffic. Clark steered her to the Torch office, and Chloe unlocked the door and they walked in.

"Agree to never **EVER** mention it again," Chloe said and plopped down on the comfy padding on her chair at her desk and fired up her computer.

"I **VOW** to never **EVER** mention it," Clark said. She grinned when he sat beside her.

"Look away, look away," Chloe said with a smile, waving her hands at Clark, and he rolled his eyes and turned away. "You know I don't want you seeing My password, Clark," she said. Quickly she punched in 'csluvsck'. Seconds later, she was logged in. "It's ok now, you may look upon the research goddess."

Clark watched Chloe while she intensely surfed websites and online resources, watched how her fingers danced over the keyboard, watched how her eyes flew over the fonts, watched how her right index finger clicked her mouse. She saved files, printed webpages, unzipped programs. As much as he was fascinated with her computer skills, he loved watching her face: Her face glowed from the monitor's light, she smiled when she found the information she wanted, her brows furrowed when a page was not found, she slurped a Blo-Pop, she nibbled on her pen, she chewed her bottom lip. Chloe was entranced with websites that contained theories of humanzees and Oliver, a similiar chimpanzee to Beppo. Clark was entranced with just _her_.

"Earth to Clark..." Chloe said, "Come in, Clark."

"Wha...?" Clark said.

"As interesting as you think of me researching is," Chloe said with a smile, "you need to do some researching, too."

Clark grinned and went to his computer, and logged in under 'clark'. He looked up and Chloe was still smiling. She had never seen him so ...intensely looking at her. Clark was the one usually catching her doing the gazing, but this was the first time she experienced it.

"Since you're taking the Wall of Weird stance," Clark said and typed, "I'll just look up stuff on chimpanzees and evolution."

"Pete is thinking of asking Erica Fox to the Carnival, " Chloe said out of nowhere.

"Really?" Clark asked, still looking at the screen, sliding down in his chair. He knew where she was going.

"Yeah. No one has asked me out yet," Chloe hinted. Hoped. "No one at all."

"I'm sure someone will," Clark said. He just didn't know how to ask Chloe out. He could say, "Let's catch the Universal Monsters film festival at the Talon" to her, "let's share a milkshake at Schwab's Drugstore", "let's study together", "let's do homework together", "let's hang out Saturday...or Sunday...or after school", ""let's do...whatever." And Chloe readily, quickly, happily agreed. But Clark couldn't string together the words, "Chloe, I want to take you out on a date." He worried; if they dated and broke up, he'd lose a friend. He grimaced. He promised he'd never hurt her. And if they broke up, she'd hurt.

Chloe looked over and saw his grimace. She sighed. Three times since she moved to Smallville, Clark had saved Chloe's life. The first was when she, Pete and Clark were at the river during the Spring Break of their eighth grade school year. The class was reading "Tom Sawyer" and they were inspired to make a raft and take it on the river. Everything went well until the water turned fast and choppy. Chloe fell overboard and caught her foot in the branches down below the water's surface. The raft rushed along. Clark told Pete to somehow guide the raft and he jumped in after her. Chloe watched her world darken like the murky depths. Then she was coughing up water on Clark, when he held her close, on the banks of the river. 

And already in their Freshman year, Clark saved her from a fire in the Torch. Fire. Water. Wind made the raft go fast. 'If Clark said go out with me, and I say yes, would the Earth swallow me up?' she thought. 'I'd risk it...why won't he?' She glanced over again; Only Clark could fearlessly do the things he did and fear going from friend to boyfriend. 'Maybe the elements are against Me,' Chloe thought sadly. Pete said that Clark liked her, thought that she was fun; so when would she cross over to be a fun date and not a buddy, a pal, a chum? Pete hinted that no one asked her or Clark out was because...it was like they were already going out together. Just at snacktime Pete made it crystral clear to them both. But Chloe wanted to be asked out on a date, not just asked to "let's do something." They sat silently for awhile, and made notes for the interview with Beppo's trainer.

"Um..." Clark said, breaking the usual awkward silence that followed Chloe's hints about being asked out, "How are we getting to the Fairgrounds?"

"Kwan's taking us," Chloe leaned to the other side of the monitor.

"Cool," Clark said and punched the print screen button.

"Yeah," Chloe nodded and went back to her screen. "But he can't bring us back so I called your mom and my daddy."

"Why both?" Clark said, surprised that Chloe micromanaged him. Again.

"Daddy promised to buy me a new sweater," Chloe said. "And he wanted some Dad time."

"Oh," Clark said. He liked clothes shopping with Chloe. She always selected the quirkiest looking tops and pants and Clark loved that she'd try on the clothes and ask what he thought. Chloe loved modeling for him, plus she'd get him to try on clothes out of his usual primary color/flannel/jeans motif. They once spent three hours just trying on new stuff. Clark thought that she was fun to be with; Chloe thought they could could do anything together.

"Next time you can help me pick out clothes, Clark," Chloe said.

"OK," He said.

"And as long as I get you to try on something," Chloe added. She saw a clingy burgandy sweater that she thought Clark would look hot in. Burgandy was Chloe's favorite color.

"OK," He said with a laugh. Clark had no say when it was his turn to try on clothes. He was Chloe's tall, muscular dress up doll. And he didn't mind one second. She giggled and things were normal between them again.

"Are the Torch's intrepid reporters ready?" Principal Kwan said after stepping into the doorway.

"Yes!" Chloe said, shutting her computer down. She was a perky ball of energy again.

"I'm set," Clark said, doing the same to his computer.

"Let's get going," Kwan said. "I want to get back as soon possible and its a long drive to the fairground."

"OK," Clark and Chloe said at the same time, and they grinned at each other. They made sure each other had everything they needed and they followed the principal through the hallways. Kwan signed them out in the attendence office and drove them to the fairgrounds.


	6. Chapter Six

**_Chapter Six _**

Principal Kwan dropped Chloe and Clark off and they walked along the gate, looking at the rides set along the walkway to attract attention. Chloe looked at the carnies bolting down the last support beam for an octopus-looking thrill ride called "The Hurler"; It basically spun the riders in their seats as the arms spinned around.

"That ride is from last year, but with a gross name," Chloe said, walking with him. Last time through Smallville, the ride was called "Octo-Pods". "I liked it though. I'd need someone again to make sure I was ok afterwards. I was so dizzy."

Clark looked at Chloe and she was smiling at him.

"Yeah," Clark said. "I remember. I said not to ride two times in a row. But did you listen?"

"No, Clark," Chloe said with a secret smile. "I didn't listen." The first time she didn't get dizzy enough. The second time did the job and Clark had to hold her: hold her up when they got off the ride, and had his arm around her waist while they sat on a bench. "Luckly for me you were there."

"What's a friend for?" Clark said easily and looked ahead. He missed Chloe's beaming smile falter and fall into a frown.

"Yeah," Chloe said, trying to sound chipper. "So Kent...going to ask anyone to the carnival? Did anyone ask you?"

"Umm," Clark mumbled, taken aback. "I haven't thought of anyone specifically," He said, lying; he wanted to ask Chloe out, but he knew, KNEW that he'd say "Let's meet up at the carnival and hang out with Pete" like he did last year. "And no one ever asks me out."

"Tell me about it," Chloe grumbled and kicked a rock. "We're the Dateless Wonder Twins."

"Yeah. I asked Pete what was up with that, and he just laughed and laughed." Clark kicked a rock and winced; it shot off. Luckily, Chloe didn't see the rock zoom away. However, somewhere, a farmer was knocked unconscious by the rock pelting him.

"Same here," Chloe said, grabbing a rock and throwing it into the vacant parking lot. She subversively made sure the girls knew Clark was taken, but it also killed her dating chances. 'Not that I want to date anyone else,' she thought. 'But it would be nice to make Clark jealous.'

"Watch out," Clark reached and held her arm; he kicked aside shards of a broken bottle that was in Chloe's path.

"Thanks, Clark," Chloe said in a hushed tone and he blushed. She swooned; she felt a bit dizzy like when he held her after the Octo-Pod ride. '_Mental Note number 342: Clark is IT_,' she thought, looking up at him. "I don't think the thick soles of my boots were a match against that thin glass," she couldn't help but snark. He laughed. She walked closer to his arm. while they approached the main enterance.

"Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan, Smallville Torch, to see ...Beppo," Clark announced to a portly security guard and a scraggly carny.

"Assertive," Chloe whispered and she leaned in close to Clark. "I didn't have to coach you. That's a welcomed change." Clark made a face and Chloe smiled.

"I'm Clovis," the carny drawled out while a security guard unchained the front gates and let Chloe and Clark pass through."And ya' all are late."

"Really?" Chloe looked at her watch. "Just two minutes late."

"Late is late," Clovis said. "Follow me."

Chloe and Clark looked at each other with raised eyebrows, hunched, dropped their shoulders at the same time and followed Clovis. They walked a few feet behind him. Chloe was used to seeing farmers around town with their overalls; she thought the smudges of dirt were badges of noblity. However, Clovis's overalls were beyond soiled: they were dirty, sweatstained, had food, oil, and blood spots ground into the fabric. Chloe guesstimated the last time they were washed was in the early 1970s, at least. She offically hated overalls now. She elbowed Clark, getting his attention from a poster on a circus tent. He leaned in.

"Clark, I swear if you ever wear overalls...," she started to whisper. But she thought of Clark in _just_ overalls; Clark doing hot sweaty farm work in the Sun, bailing hay, feeding the cows, roping the horses, cleaning the stables, all in slow motion, the muscles in his arms flexing, bulging. She envisioned him grabbing a huge water bucket, lifting it, and pouring the water over himself, washing off the sweat and grime. He shook his head, sending out splatters of water. He wiped his face and chest and arms slowly. '_Mmmm_,' Chloe thought, '_Easy on the eyes_.'

Chloe licked her parched lips, vacantly staring off into space while Clark waited for her to finish what she was saying.

Clovis took a left turn and Clark followed him.

Chloe kept thinking about a drenched Clark, a muscled Clark who needed to take off the soaking overalls with her help and walked right into Clark's chest.

"Oof!" Chloe said and was jolted out of her daydream. She looked up at Clark dreamily. Then she smacked his chest several times. "Watch where you're going, you behemoth!"

"You didn't turn," Clark said, giving her a confused look, rubbing his chest for no reason. "He turned, I turned, you went straight." He pointed at Clovis up ahead. "And what about me and overalls? You sorta got all quiet."

"Oh, that," Chloe said, wiping her warm brow. She composed herself and she walked with Clark. "Just...just don't get them dirty like that guy's."

"Umm," Clark said. "_Oooooooookay_."

Joe Young was Beppo's owner and trainer. He peeked into Beppo's bedroom and saw the chimpanzee enjoying "King Kong" on Turner Classic Movies. Joe chuckled at the memory of Beppo disgustedly throwing a DVD about a chimp in a hotel, "Dunston Checks Out" out the window somewhere between Tampa and Jacksonvile, Florida while the caravan rolled north.

"Beppo, my man," Joe said cheerfully. Beppo looked over and smiled. He liked Joe. Joe was nice and playful and got him the best liquor. Beppo lightly shook his glass and Joe filled it with brandy. Yes, Beppo liked Joe a lot.

"Beps," Joe said, going to the door. "We have an interview with some kids for their school paper in a few minutes."

Beppo looked incredulously at Joe. Didn't Joe see he was busy? That he was watching what he felt was the greatest movie he seen since they bought and watched 'Citizen Kane' in Gotham? Beppo shrieked and tossed a banana at Joe.

"Whoa!" Joe ducked the banana and heard it splat above his head. "What the hell, Beppo?" Joe looked at his chimpanzee. Beppo never acted with any anger or malice. The chimp grabbed an apple and pointed at the television screen.

"Beppo...," Joe said with a firm voice, ready to dodge the apple. "I understand. But it's too late to call off the interview." Beppo flung the apple high and Joe scampered out of the room. He shut the door. "Watch the movie and just do a quick wave to the kids, thats all," Joe yelled through the door. Beppo gave his shriek of agreement to Joe and went back to the movie. It was getting good. The blonde was now tied to the pillars, a gift to Kong.

"Wait here," Clovis said. He stopped in front of the Beppo's deluxe motor home and knocked on the door.

"Nice set-up," Chloe remarked, "None of the other trailers are new or large like this one."

"His 'Majesty' is the star attraction," Clovis sneered. Clark looked at Chloe.

"I thought Beppo was a likeable animal?" Chloe said innocently. She wanted more info.

"He ain't no animal," Clovis ventured. Chloe looked at Clark this time. "And he ain't no man."

"What do you mean?" Clark asked.

"Nuttin'..." Clovis said with a look that ended the conversation. Joe opened the door.

"Hello, I'm Joe Young, owner and trainer of Beppo," Joe said and welcomed Chloe and Clark into the house. Joe looked at Clovis and shook his head. Clovis hrrumped and walked off.

"Beppo will join us in a bit," Joe said to Chloe and Clark while they sat at a table. "I'm going to get you some drinks. Soda ok?" They both nodded and Joe left the room. Chloe checked the micro-cassette recorder's batteries. They were fresh.

"Say my name," Chloe said to Clark, clicking the recorder on. Clark rolled his eyes and she jabbed the machine at his lips. She did this every time when they went on interviews together. "**Say it**!"

"Chloe."

"And say it louder," she directed. He did.

"And once more, softly," Chloe smiled. Clark obliged. She re-wound the ninety minute cassette and played it and heard Clark's say her name three times. "Works," She said with a smile and took out the cassette and put a fresh one in.

"Jeeze," Clark said. "You must have that one cassette filled with me saying your name over and over."

"So?" Chloe said, slipping the cassette in her front pocket. Her defenses went up: It was_ nobody's _business, especially Clark, what she did with that particular cassette. "I have to see if the recorder works. You know, if it picks up changes in tone. Its important."

"Ok," Clark said. "At least it wasn't like last week when you made me do the push-ups and say your name."

"Oh yeah," Chloe said with a grin. "Umm...well, I needed to hear if the recorder picked up ragged breath, but you weren't helpful at all. You did all those push-ups without getting bushed."

"Fifty push-ups are a breeze," Clark boasted.

"Mmm-hmm," Chloe said, fidgetting in her seat, thinking of Clark in overalls, doing push-ups, and saying her name.

"I could do a hundred easy if you had asked." Clark idly tapped his pen.

"Maybe I will." Chloe said. '_Oh yes, I will_,' she thought. "Where's Beppo?" Chloe asked when Joe walked in with a tray of drinks and sat at the table with them.

"Umm," Joe stammered. "He's watching a movie."

Chloe and Clark looked at each other. She actually pouted.

"Joe," Clark said, "we're here to interview you, but we really need to see Beppo to get a real grasp of the story." Chloe looked at Clark, amazed that he was saying exactly what she'd say.

"Plus we need pictures," She added and lifted her digital camera.

Joe nodded and got up. He worried that Beppo would throw another tantrum. He walked to the bedroom door and knocked while he opened it. Beppo watched Kong carry the woman into the jungle. "Beppo?"

Beppo shrieked. He didn't want to be interrupted; the movie was getting better and better.

The shriek scared Chloe and she grabbed Clark's hand and ducked her head into his arm. He put his arm around her shoulder. For a few seconds Chloe felt safe with Clark's touch. But she knew it wasn't professional. She leaned back in her chair and looked at Clark. "Wasn't scared. It just surprised me," she said and he just nodded at her.

"Is there a problem, Joe?" Clark asked.

"No..." Joe said down the hallway. "Its just that Beppo is really into his movie, kids."

Nothing, **NOTHING** made Chloe mad more than being called a kid. Chloe growled. She growled when she was mad or something wasn't going her way. Clark winced; He had often made her growl. "Look, we need to see him to get this story complete," She said firmly. She got up, went past Joe, and walked down the hallway. She peeked into the bedroom. She saw the chimp lounging on the couch, taking a drink of something burgandy colored. "Beppo...Please come out Beppo," Chloe pleaded sweetly.

Beppo knocked back the drink and looked at the doorway. A Blonde. A Beauty. A Girl. He looked at the screen, at Fay Wray in Kong's hand, and looked back at the girl in the doorway, infatuated. He smiled, bobbed his head excitedly, turned off the television and cartwheeled over to Chloe. She clapped at his trick. Chloe was surprised that the chimpanzee was so tall, just a few inches shorter than she was and very muscled for his species. '_Maybe he is a forerunner for_...'

Chloe didn't complete her thought; Beppo hugged her.

"Oh...hello," Chloe said down at the balding head of the chimp. Beppo hugged tightly and she looked at Joe. "Umm, pretty affectionate, isn't he?"

"He usually doesn't do this," Joe explained with an uneasy grin, and moved in on them. He tugged on Beppo's shoulder but the chimpanzee shrugged at his hand. Chloe tried to step away. But the shift in her balance made her and Beppo tumble to the floor. Beppo shrieked happily again.

"A little help?" Chloe said, this time looking at the person that she knew would help her in any situation: Clark. He moved from his chair to her side in two of her blinks and and pulled Beppo off. Clark was surprised that he had to put some effort into it. Beppo sniffed at Clark and smelled no fear, unlike the fear he smelled on Joe or the girl. In Beppo's mind, Clark was Chloe's mate. A mate he had to defeat. Beppo looked at Clark. Clark easily lifted Chloe to her Doc Marten boots.

"If it's Thursday," Chloe said with a smirk, "It must be _'Clark Saves Chloe Yet Again Day'_." She plucked at nothing on his shirt and Clark smiled at her. Beppo shrieked: He didn't like Clark one bit.

"I guess he wants to start the interview," Joe said with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, I don't want to waste any more time, too" Chloe said. Clark guided Chloe to one side of the table, and Joe sat with Beppo on the other side. They began the interview.


	7. Chapter Seven

_  
**Chapter Seven**_

Clark watched Beppo eye Chloe. Clark narrowed his brow. No one looked at Chloe like that at school. At least when HE was around. He wasn't jealous of the attention Beppo was giving her. Just like he wasn't jealous last year, when he caught Craig Williams looking at Chloe the same way her second day at school. But Craig smiled at Clark and Clark glared back. Later, at P.E., the class played dodge ball, and Clark nailed Craig right on the forehead, sending Craig's glasses flying and knocking the skinny asthmatic unconscious. Craig couldn't see straight for a month, and never looked at Chloe again.

It began a pattern: Clark shielded Chloe from guys he felt didn't come up to her standards, warned away guys that seemed out for one thing, and clamped down any rumors about her. Chloe didn't know that this school year there was a nasty rumor about how she was getting "inside information" for her stories. Clark followed the rumor trail to the school's auto shop and had a "talk" to Drake Pierson, a constant presence in Detention. Drake called Chloe several harsh names. Finally, Clark goaded Drake into a punch and Clark caught Drake's fist, spun him around and wrenched the metalhead's arm behind his back. Clark lifted him a bit, just enough to make Drake scream in agony that he would never talk about Chloe again. The silent word was out: Chloe was covered with a "no-fly zone", patrolled by Clark Kent. Pete and Clark talked about it when they played on the PS2 that night and Pete wondered whose interests Clark was protecting; his own or Chloe's? Clark just went silent, drank his Yoo-Hoo, ate some cookies and watched Pete play. Pete laughed and laughed; Pete knew Clark's answer.

Clark realized he was jealous of other guys like back in eighth grade, like this year, like now when Beppo looked at 'my girl', Clark thought for the first time. He looked at Chloe. 'She's my girl,' he thought more firmly.

"I'm ready. Are You?" She asked with a bright smile. Clark nodded. He was, finally. Clark took out his notes and Chloe pushed record and play at the same time on the micro-cassette recorder.

"Ok, we have several questions, standard fare," Chloe lead, "Beppo seems to be a very unique specimen...how did you acquire him?"

"I bartered with the The Mogumbo tribe," Joe started with his usual tale, "in the deepest darkness of Africa and..."

"OK, P.T.," Chloe interrupted, "Lets try and stay factual. There isn't a sucker born EVERY minute..." She looked over and slapped Clark's hand. He was taking notes. She frowned and shook her head at him. Clark sank a bit in his chair, chastised. 'My poor innocent Clark,' She thought with a sigh. 'I have to watch out for him.' She looked back at Joe and Beppo. "Continue, Joe."

"Well," Joe smiled at her, so earnest looking. "Beppo was a famished lil chimp in a zoo down in Miami, near the 'glades."

"Write," Chloe whispered and patted Clark's thigh. Beppo hooted. Clark smiled at Beppo and jotted down what Joe said.

"Was he already so..." Chloe looked at Beppo, and he showed his teeth and chattered, "unusual?"

"I was surprised," Joe admitted. "He stood upright not crouching, walked not jumped around, and he looked so ...human." Beppo nodded, and rubbed his chin, thoughtfully.

"Was Beppo a part of an experiment?" Chloe asked boldly. She leaned in and looked Joe in the eyes. Beppo shook his head.

"Great question," Joe said, leaning back. "No...not that I know of, I mean. He's just been checked out medically."

"And ?" Clark and Chloe said at the same time. Chloe slid her hand to his side and pinched at his rib. Clark moved to her touch, but not the sensation. Chloe always pinched him when he butted in.

"Beppo was found to have 47 chromosomes," Joe revealed. "One less than a normal chimpanzee, but one more than a human." Beppo nodded quickly again.

"Ooo...interesting," Chloe said. "So he's a mutant?" She winced, recalling how she thought that was lame when Pete said it.

"Maybe he's an evolutionary jump?" Clark asked quickly and smiled at Chloe. She smiled with thin lips; she didn't like when he asked the better question. Beppo wiggled his hands and shrugged his shoulders to show that he didn't know.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Joe said. "I was expecting easy questions."

"So there could be some validity to calling Beppo a 'missing link'?" Clark jumped in.

"Technically...no," Joe said and Chloe slumped a bit in her chair. "But he does raise those questions, doesn't he?"

"Yes!" Chloe said too quickly. Beppo saw her empty glass, uncrossed his legs and walked around and poured a glass of brandy. She giggled. "No, Beppo, I don't drink that stuff. Coffee yes, booze no."

"Is this carnival...a circus show ...the best for Beppo?" Clark asked, his eye on Beppo while the chimp played with Chloe's hand.

"This exposure is funding 'The Beppo Foundation for Chimpanzees'," Joe said; he also watched Beppo. The animal seemed to be more muscular than before.

"He drinks quite a bit...is that humane treatment?" Clark asked with some worry. Beppo drank the alcohol he poured for Chloe.

"Well, honestly, he never gets drunk," Joe said with a chuckle. "And this motorhome ain't the Ritz, but it's as posh as its gets for our business."

Beppo was bored. He looked up at Clark and sized up his competition. The Tall One must be smart and virile to be the girl's mate, Beppo thought. Strong, too. Beppo went, grabbed his chess board and pieces and looked at Clark. He wanted to beat Tall One in front of the girl.

"Clark is a great player," Chloe giggled and looked at Beppo. Beppo understood. Tall One must be skillful to have the girl sit with him.

"Beppo's pretty good," Joe said. "I haven't beat him yet."

"I'll take it easy on him," Clark said with a smile. He went undefeated last year in the chess club and won a trophy at the state meet. He knew how to get four-move checkmate.

The pieces were set and after 4 moves, Clark was playing defense to Beppo's attack. Beppo's kryptonite-laced brain made him smarter, almost on par with Clark; he needed an edge to win. Chloe had often went to Clark's chess matches and she knew that something was amiss with Clark's game: Clark was losing pieces quickly and taking longer to make a move. She leaned into his left shoulder, her upper body pressed against him while she looked at the board.

Clark felt Chloe's upper body, how she moved when she breathed, how her fingertips pressed his shoulder when Beppo took another piece of Clark's. He was more aware of her than the game; it was distracting and wonderful all at the same time.

"Protect your horsey," Chloe chided Clark and snuggled in more.

"You're really making it hard for me to concentrate," Clark whispered.

"Really hard for you?" Chloe smiled. "I am?" She said it extra breathy and leaned in more.

"Oh no," He whispered. Clark misplaced his pawn when he felt her chest nudge into his arm.

"I guess I am," She said and stayed against him.

Beppo shrieked happily and swiftly took Clark's knight, the one Chloe warned Clark to protect. Clark turned and was nearly nose to nose with Chloe. "Sorry," she said, all fake wide-eyed innocence, not sorry at all, happy she could fluster and get a reaction from Clark, finally. Even if it cost him a game of chess.

"THAT'S CHECKMATE!" Joe yelled and Beppo waved his hands in the air. Clark laid his head on the table. Chloe stroked his hair.

"I think that ends our interview," Chloe said, her hand rubbing Clark's neck until he sat up. Beppo was surprised that the girl still clung to the Tall One. Wasn't his win a show of strength? Enough to win her? Chloe looked back at Joe and Beppo. "Thanks for the interview, and thank you for letting us meet Beppo."

"Anytime," Joe said. "Are you two coming to opening night?"

Chloe said "I haven't been asked" and Clark said "I haven't asked anyone" simultanteously. They looked at each other.

"Well," Joe said, looking at them pack their stuff into their backpacks. "I'll keep an eye for you two."

Chloe and Clark shook Joe's hand and Beppo kissed Chloe's hand. He flashed Clark his teeth.

"Aww...Thank you, Beppo," Chloe said and gave him a hug. Beppo didn't want to let go when Chloe leave. "Umm, I hope that he knows I'm not the prize," She laughed nervously. 

Beppo finally let go and Chloe and Clark walked out of the motor home. Beppo was not pleased that the girl left with the loser. He stomped to his room, and watched the rest of 'King Kong'. He began to plot how to get the beauty.

"Its funny," Chloe said to Clark while they stood outside the main gate, watching for her dad or his mom to arrive, "I get a hug AND a kiss with you in the room, Kent, but a chimp does it. That really makes me wonder about my role in the future of OUR species."

"Our future will be secure," Clark said with a tone Chloe never heard. She gave him an odd look while he stared down the road. "Just be online tonight. We have to go over the history study guide together."

"Of course! We always do homework together," Chloe happily. "Just don't be late...God, I hope Daddy brings me caffiene."

Chloe's dad arrived first, with an espresso for Chloe, and five minutes later, Clark was on his way home with his mom. It would be a few hours until they meet up on the AOL messenger system.


	8. Chapter Eight

_**Chapter Eight**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Clark's Screen Name:** _IncognitoHero_

**Chloe's Screen Name:** _SnArKyGURL4u_

**Pete's Screen Name:** _PlayaInTheHizzouse_

**Lana's Screen Name:** _PrettyPinkPrincess1991_

_

* * *

_

**IncognitoHero:** HEY CHLOE

**SnArKyGURL4u:** About TIME U logged on:P

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Jeeze, only 30 min late clark...where were you?

**IncognitoHero:** CHORES! SRY!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Itz coo. Don't let it happen AGAIN! j/k

**IncognitoHero:** K

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Good boy

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Looked up stuff for class...I'm sending u a link

**IncognitoHero:** K

**IncognitoHero:** THANKS

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Dang ! No caps clark...I told you caps screaming

**IncognitoHero:** HOLD ON ...WTFMXYPITIlick...ok...the keys are sticky

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I see...messy keyboard, ck? jus what sites do u surf at all alone in the loft?

**IncognitoHero:** CHLOE!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** LOL

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I can HEAR u say that...I have an idea...let's get mics!...next week, ok?

**IncognitoHero:** ok...but its not like we talk all day

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Yeah BUT we can talk all night!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** :)

**IncognitoHero:** :)

**IncognitoHero:** O...BRB

**SnArKyGURL4u:** WHAT? BRB? WHY? WHY? GRRRR!

* * *

(IncognitoHero is Idle)

_( 5 minutes later)_

(IncongnitoHero is no longer idle)

* * *

**IncognitoHero:** cute growl

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ty :p...why did ya leave Me?

**IncognitoHero:** Lex came over

**SnArKyGURL4u:** O...what Lex want? tell Me

**IncognitoHero:** Lex gave Me tickets to a concert :)

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Concert Tix! What group? Where? When u picking Me up? ;)

**IncognitoHero:** Sry...its for mom's b-day

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Ok...u're off the hook w/ Me...4 now

**IncognitoHero:** hey!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** LOL

**IncognitoHero:** You're only the Boss the Torch

**SnArKyGURL4u:** O Yea?

**IncognitoHero:** Yeah

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ok

**IncognitoHero:** good...thats settled

**SnArKyGURL4u:** send Me the answer to question 9

**IncognitoHero:** ok

**IncognitoHero:** its Rommel, the Desert Fox

**SnArKyGURL4u:** See? I can boss you around anyTIME! anyWHERE! EVEN ONLINE!

**IncognitoHero:** That's Mean, Chloe! U asked for help!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** No

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I DEMANDED the answer

**IncognitoHero:** :(

**SnArKyGURL4u:** LOL. You're such a good friend ck. The BEST!

**IncognitoHero:** You're saying that becuz I save your life on occasion

**SnArKyGURL4u:** TRUE :P

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I owe u everything!

**IncognitoHero:** Yup

**SnArKyGURL4u:** soooooooooo...when u gonna collect?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ;)

**IncognitoHero:** :O

**SnArKyGURL4u:** :P

**IncognitoHero:** I'll think of something...just wait

**SnArKyGURL4u:** 4u? ok

**IncognitoHero:** Pete just logged on!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Yeah...I'm inviting him

* * *

Send Chat Invitation From SnArKyGURL4u

Chat

Screen names to invite (separated by commas):

PlayaInTheHizzouse

Invitation message:

_Join me in this Chat. Me and Clark sitting in a tree...c.h.a.t.t.i.n.g._

Chat Room: Chat 37322743190041278540

* * *

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Hey C & C...as usual together...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ;)

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** ;)

**IncognitoHero:** Hey Bro

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Hey PR

**IncognitoHero:** What are you up to?

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Hmwrk, emailing erica fox, dl-ing music

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** so many history questions! 50! I hate study guides

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Can you burn Me a cd?

**IncognitoHero:** Careful Bro, she's in a bossy mood

**SnArKyGURL4u:** YOU, ck I BOSS...Pete, I ask:P

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** LOL

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** chloe always had you on a short leash, Bro

**IncognitoHero:** I know

**SnArKyGURL4u:** HEY! HEY! HEY! u2...enuff of that talk!

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Its true

**IncognitoHero:** Yup

**SnArKyGURL4u:** PR...I am so going to kill you!

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** No you aren't

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** hey...clark agreed too!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I'm killing him too

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** yeah RIGHT

**IncognitoHero:** Really Chloe:(

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I'd never hurt you ck...I jus sounding tuff...I want u around 2 much...

**IncognitoHero:** Really Chloe:)

**SnArKyGURL4u:** yeah...how else can I BOSS u around?

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** LOL

**IncognitoHero:** gee...thanks

**SnArKyGURL4u:** np ;)

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** anyone have the answer to #9?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Its Rommel

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Thx!

**IncognitoHero:** Be sure to add: The Desert Fox

**SnArKyGURL4u: **Pete...clark admitted his keyboard was all sticky

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** BUSTED!

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Chloe...that sounds like a story for the Torch

**SnArKyGURL4u: **OMG..story? itz a HEADLINE! " Clark Kent's Sticky Keyboard...Expose!"

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** LOL...why Bro? checking out some x x x ?

**IncognitoHero:** NO...the caps lock was stuck..thats all HONEST!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** You know he's blushing

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** yeah

**SnArKyGURL4u: **#21 has Me stumped

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Me 2

**IncognitoHero:** The introduction of aircraft as primary offensive source of attack, rather than defensive purposes, changed modern warfare.

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Way to go, Clark

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Not atomic/nuclear weapons?

**IncognitoHero:** How many nukes been dropped lately? How many SMART bombs dropped from planes?

**SnArKyGURL4u:**_touche_

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Clark's got all the book smarts

**SnArKyGURL4u:** wait until he gets wise...what a combo meal u'll be, ck

**IncognitoHero:** thats very nice of you to say, Chloe

**SnArKyGURL4u:** anytime :) hungry

**IncognitoHero:** Me too...gets a sammich

**SnArKyGURL4u:** sighs(

**PlayaInTheHizzouse: **LOL

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Anyone heading to the carnival Friday? I scammed a date from Erica

**IncognitoHero:** Maybe

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Haven't been asked YET

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** I hope he wises up to realize what he's missing ;)

**IncognitoHero:** huh? Chloe has a "he?" What?

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** For a while now

**SnArKyGURL4u:** shh

**IncognitoHero:** when did I miss THAT?

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** ;)

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ;)

**IncognitoHero:** what's with all the winking?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** nooooooothinnnnnnnnng

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** nada

**IncognitoHero:** ok... makes a suspicious face

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** CK...I like your new SN...its cool!

**IncognitoHero:** Thanks...Chloe thought of it...I like it

**SnArKyGURL4u:** yeah...ClarkKent1991 was a tad boring now that he saved My life...again

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** I get the hero, but incognito?

**IncognitoHero:** I don't wanna be in the Torch or Ledger

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ck never gloats about his rescues...its very noble

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Very

**IncognitoHero:** blush

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Doesn't take much to make you blush Clark

**SnArKyGURL4u:** remember I sent ck that VicSecret link of thongs? ...LOL

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** OMG YES...I was there! the comp at was the kitchen nook...LOL...hiz moms saw us looking...he was RED

**SnArKyGURL4u:** LOLOLOL

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** she enabled parental controls!...checked out any good kid-safe sites recently Clark:P

**SnArKyGURL4u:** LOLOLOL

**IncognitoHero:** you two are mean...always teasing

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** nah...just showing ya love big guy hi 5s

**SnArKyGURL4u:** yeah! Love to ck! hugs

**IncognitoHero:** I don't tease you guys :-

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** thats cuz you don't know HOW

**SnArKyGURL4u:** yeah :-P

**IncognitoHero:** I'm nice O:-)

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** teasing is easy...

**SnArKyGURL4u:**you're charming and heroic, too

**IncognitoHero:** blush

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** chloe...whats your fave perfume?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I like Vaniila Fields

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** But you said you LOVE CK...

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** CK1, that is

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Pete...I'm kicking your butt tomorrow

**IncognitoHero:** I saw a bottle of ck1 on your dresser, Chloe

**SnArKyGURL4u:** so? I love ck...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** CK1

**SnArKyGURL4u:** GRRR

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** LOL

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Clark, do you what candy wrapper chloe SAVES every time after she SAVORS the candy? since 8th grade? since moving here?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Peter Rodney Ross...you are DEAD :o

**IncognitoHero:** Chloe likes Blo-Pops

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** are you surrrrrrrrrrrrrrre?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** you're a dead man typing :o

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** wouldn't be CLARK bar wrappers would it, Chloe?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** LOL

**IncognitoHero:** I never see Clark bars at the stores

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** thats cuz Chloe buys them ALL

**IncognitoHero:** really? -O

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Pete if you don't stop...you don't get to cover the girls gymnastic tryouts...

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** really?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** you KNOW I'm serious

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** forget what I said, Clark

**IncognitoHero:** ok

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Hey...I hafta get my roll on...moms needs the comp bbl

**IncognitoHero:** Bye Bro

**SnArKyGURL4u**: Bye Pal smacks you on the way out

* * *

(PlayaInTheHizzouse has left the room.)

* * *

**IncognitoHero:** you're mean

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Nah...you really think I'm AWESOME

**IncognitoHero:** sometimes

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Hmm... and those other times, you think I'm GREAT right?

**IncognitoHero:** lol...yes, Chloe

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Good...cuz thats what I think...you're awesome ;)

**IncognitoHero:** BLUSH

**SnArKyGURL4u:** why don't you or Pete call Me sis?

**IncognitoHero:** hmm

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I'd like it if you did

**IncognitoHero:** I call him Bro, cuz I known him for so long; we're like family

**IncognitoHero:** really?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** OH ...well..if its a family thing ...:(

**IncognitoHero:** For me it would be weird

**SnArKyGURL4u**?

**IncognitoHero:** blushes

**SnArKyGURL4u:** now u HAVE to tell me ck!

**IncognitoHero:** hey! Lana logged on!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** really? _keen_.

**IncognitoHero:** you don't have her on messenger?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** looks hmm. **THIS** messenger system?

**IncognitoHero:** yup

**SnArKyGURL4u:** still looking wow. no.

**IncognitoHero:** I'll invite

**SnArKyGURL4u:** _great_

_

* * *

_

Send Chat Invitation From IncognitoHero

Chat

Screen names to invite (separated by commas):

PrettyPinkPrincess1991

Invitation message:

_Join me in this Chat. help?_

Chat Room: Chat 37322743190041278540

* * *

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** Hi Clark. Hi Chloe...how are you two?

**IncognitoHero:** Hi Lana...I'm good

**SnArKyGURL4u:** o...hey

**IncognitoHero:** Clo and I are just chatting and helping each other with history

**SnArKyGURL4u:**_Clo_?

**IncognitoHero:** I was trying to spell kloh...like when I say your name...:S

**SnArKyGURL4u:** THATS so 8th grade

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Actually Lana...we were cybering...cybering HARD

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** you two were cybering? giggles

**IncognitoHero:** WHAT? NO WE WEREN'T!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Don't lie, clark...yes, Lana...we were...except for mucho run-on sentences, clark gives good cyber!

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** LOL

**IncognitoHero:** We weren't!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** jus messing with u gives ck a cyber wedgie

**IncognitoHero:** OH GOD...you're crazy tonight Chloe!

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** LOL! Thanks for the laugh Chloe. I so needed that. I had a rough day at the Talon. Wrong orders came in.Then there was the busted toliet eww

**IncognitoHero:** I could have helped out. You should have called

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Actually, clark, if you did, you'd blown off helping ME with OUR homework

**IncognitoHero:** Oh...That's right. Sry Chloe

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** He means well, Chloe. Besides, Whitney helped, Clark.

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I know, Lana

**IncognitoHero:** ok

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** It's like we say, Chloe...Clark may not be there where you want him...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** But he's there when you need him

**IncognitoHero:** thx alot u2

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** Its a good thing

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Its a good thing

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** LOL

**SnArKyGURL4u:** LOL

**IncognitoHero: ** sighs

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991: **Poor Clark

**SnArKyGURL4u:** quit being a **SISSY**

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** Chloe! LOL!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** LOL... its MY job to give him a HARD time and its his job to SAVE My cute butt.

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Works out PERFECT for us

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** You both do a great job...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** TY...I think

**IncognitoHero:** She's usually more ...academic...less...frantic

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** I'm sure she is

**SnArKyGURL4u: **I think its the triple mocha I drank waiting for clark to get done with his chores

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** You had a double espresso at the Talon

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Don't forget the choco-coffee beans...MmmM

**IncognitoHero:** Oh GOD...She's wired, hopelessly wired.

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I can't figure out how ck does all his chores, the KINDS of FARM work...w/o the benefit of caffeine!

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** I agree...I noticed something...Clark, you never get a coffee at the Talon, just juice

**SnArKyGURL4u:** that's right! BUSTED!

**IncognitoHero:** I like juice, both of you drinks from a glass of orange juice right now

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** sips pink lemonade

**SnArKyGURL4u:** drinks Her 4th mug of coffee today

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** WOW

**IncognitoHero:** yikes

**SnArKyGURL4u:** smiles sweetly...tho a bit jittery :P

**IncognitoHero:** whats the answer to #33?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** say please

**IncognitoHero:** please

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Mussolini

**IncognitoHero:** thanks Chloe

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** thanks...I needed that one too.

**SnArKyGURL4u:** np

**IncognitoHero:** Lana, are you going to the carnival Friday?

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** I don't know. Whitney is working late.

**IncognitoHero:** Really? But the carnival sounds like fun

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Lana...check your PM!

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** ok

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** Clark...I suddenly got an idea!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ;)

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** ;)

**IncognitoHero:** what is it:)

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** Why don't Me and Whitney, Pete and his date meet up with you and Chloe at the Carnival?

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** You two will most likely be together, covering the carnival for the Torch, right?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** wow! great plan Lana! I'd NEVER come up with something like that!

**IncognitoHero:** Right! Sounds good!

**SnArKyGURL4u: **thanks ;)

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** anytime ;)

**IncognitoHero:** Thanks?

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** umm...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ummm...thanking her for such great coffee at the Talon, clark...GOD you're nosey!

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** LOL...Whitney just signed on, so I'm gunna cyber...

**IncognitoHero:** ...

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** J/K!

SnArKyGURL4u: what's his SN?

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** It's embarassing :-

**SnArKyGURL4u:** really? SHARE!

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** It's HedCherLderPlzer...

**IncognitoHero:** ...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ...

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** He keeps trying to get me to change mine to PinkQBtoy :-

**IncognitoHero:** ...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ...

**PrettyPinkPrincess1991:** well blushes on that note, goodnight you two, I have to talk with Whitney..have fun!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** We always do

_(PrettyPinkPrincess1991 has left the room)_

**SnArKyGURL4u: **maybe not as much fun as you two:-

**IncognitoHero:** Yeah:-

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Pete's back...I'm inviting

**IncognitoHero:** ok!

* * *

Send Chat Invitation From SnArKyGURL4u

Chat

Screen names to invite (separated by commas):

PlayaInTheHizzouse

Invitation message:

Join me in this Chat._ LANA HELPED...PASSES OUT_

Chat Room: Chat 37322743190041278540

* * *

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** Hi!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** WB

**IncognitoHero:** WB

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** So what did I miss?

**IncognitoHero:** we're meeting up at the carnival

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** ok...who is this "we", chloe:)

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Me and clark :)

**IncognitoHero:** You and Erica, Lana and Whitney and Me and Chloe

**IncognitoHero:** we're going covering the event for the Torch

**SnArKyGURL4u:** killjoy

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** still sounds great, chloe ;)

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I KNOW ;)

**IncognitoHero:** It sounds fun

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** yeah...you just need a fun night out...no freaky stuff happening...

**IncognitoHero: **You're right, Pete...I need fun

**SnArKyGURL4u:** is fun

**IncognitoHero:** I know you're fun

**SnArKyGURL4u:** wow

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** wow

**IncognitoHero:** what?

**PlayaInTheHizzouse: **didn't think you knew

**IncognitoHero:** I know...jeeze

**SnArKyGURL4u:** good

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** I just saying I didn't think you knew

**IncognitoHero:** I know chloe is fun

**SnArKyGURL4u**: I knew you knew ck

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** still didn't think you knew

**IncognitoHero:** I never said she wasn't

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** you never said she WAS either

**IncognitoHero:** I didn't think I had too

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** you should

**IncognitoHero:** I THINK SHE IS MORE THAN FUN, PETE...you know that

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** still...didn't seem like it

**IncognitoHero:** things are never like they seem!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I'm stilllllllllll here

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** I see you

**IncognitoHero:** I always notice you Chloe...I just don't...say it enough

**SnArKyGURL4u:** oh blush

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** I win $5

**SnArKyGURL4u:** pays $5

**IncognitoHero:** what did I do this time?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** LOLOLOL

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** LOL

**IncognitoHero:** sighs

**SnArKyGURL4u:** whats the answer to #36, ck?

**IncognitoHero:** Operation Barbarossa

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** I can't wait...I wanna ride all the rides

**IncognitoHero:** I like the rides at night...look at all the stars

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I want a big stuffed bear, but I can never win one

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** I didn't think you went for stuff that that

**SnArKyGURL4u: **I do...you know THAT, Pete ;)

**IncognitoHero:** I'll win one for you, Chloe

**SnArKyGURL4u:** really:O

**IncognitoHero:** Yes

**SnArKyGURL4u:** hugs

**IncognitoHero:** hugs

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** get a room!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** lol puts a Do Not Disturb sign on doorknob

**IncognitoHero:** lol puts a boulder against door

**PlayaInTheHizzouse:** I'm outta here...

_(PlayaInTheHizzouse signed off at 10:45 PM)_

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Whats the answer to #40?

**IncognitoHero:** The Battle of the Bulge

**SnArKyGURL4u:** thank you

**IncognitoHero:** you seem calmer

**SnArKyGURL4u:** coming down from coffee bean high

**IncognitoHero:** good

**SnArKyGURL4u:** nods sorry for being so hyper...and being mean to you

**IncognitoHero:** you didn't mean it...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I didn't...I like you

**IncognitoHero:** I like you too

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I like you more

**IncognitoHero:** I like you more x 2

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I like you infinity

**IncognitoHero: **I like you infinity +1

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I adore you, you know

**IncognitoHero:** I adore you more than you know

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Let Me know

**IncognitoHero: **I just did

**SnArKyGURL4u:** smiles

**IncognitoHero:** smiles back

**SnArKyGURL4u:** so,...we established you like Me

**IncognitoHero:** yes

**SnArKyGURL4u:** and adore Me

**IncognitoHero:** yes

**SnArKyGURL4u:** so...call Me sis

**IncognitoHero:** No

**SnArKyGURL4u:** No?

**IncognitoHero:** No

**SnArKyGURL4u: **Why?

**IncognitoHero:** you can't date your sister

**SnArKyGURL4u:** :O

**IncognitoHero:** thats why I won't call you sis

**SnArKyGURL4u:** :O

**IncognitoHero:** Chloe Sullivan...speechless at last

**SnArKyGURL4u:**O

**SnArKyGURL4u:** sooooooooo are you going to ask Me out on a date?

**IncognitoHero:** Yes

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Yes?

**IncognitoHero:** yes

**SnArKyGURL4u:** smiles

**IncognitoHero:** smiles back

**SnArKyGURL4u:** waits

**IncognitoHero:** huh?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ok ck...you do know you have to actually **MAKE **the date to GO on the date?

**IncognitoHero:** umm...wanna do something together this friday? like the carnival, maybe?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** be more confident!

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I'd say it like this...clark, I want to go on a date with you Friday night, take you to the carnival, will you go with Me?

**IncognitoHero:****YES** I will

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ok...good to know you'd go if I ask you out shoulda thought of that sooner , ...now you try it

**IncognitoHero:** Chloe...I'd really want to go on a date with you Friday night...take you to the carnival... will you go with Me?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** Oh Clark...I'd thought you'd never ask...I'd love to

**IncognitoHero:** smiles

**SnArKyGURL4u:** smiles back

**IncognitoHero:** kiss

**SnArKyGURL4u:** KISSES back

**IncognitoHero:** Remind me to thank Lana for coming up with your plan

**SnArKyGURL4u:** you caught that? blush

**IncognitoHero:** I'm not **THAT** oblivious, am I?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** grins

**IncognitoHero:** I was planning on asking...but I was nervous...you make Me nervous

**SnArKyGURL4u:** only you, ck, can save this girl's life several times...and be nervous about asking Me out

**IncognitoHero:** so there is no other "he"?

**SnArKyGURL4u:** LOL..,the only "He" in My life is you

**SnArKyGURL4u:**_it's always you_

**IncognitoHero:** blushes

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I have to sign off...see you tomorrow?

**IncognitoHero:** Of course! I'll get up early and walk with you to the bustop

**SnArKyGURL4u:** smiles HUGE

**IncognitoHero:** we never finished our homework...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** I think we did alot ck

**IncognitoHero:** oh...well yeah...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** going to bed?

**IncognitoHero:** have to work on one last thing...

**SnArKyGURL4u:** ok... kiss goodnight

**IncognitoHero:** kiss goodnight

**SnArKyGURL4u:** 'night clark

**IncognitoHero:** Good night, Chloe

_(SnArKyGURL4U signed off at 10:59 PM)_

**IncognitoHero:** I love you Chloe...

* * *

"User SnArKyGURL4U is not available."

**

* * *

**

**IncognitoHero:** I love YOU Chloe...

* * *

"User SnArKyGURL4U is not available."

* * *

**IncognitoHero:** I LOVE you Chloe...

* * *

"User SnArKyGURL4U is not available."

* * *

**IncognitoHero:** I love you very much Chloe...

* * *

"User SnArKyGURL4U is not available."

* * *

**IncognitoHero:** I want to tell you a secret Chloe...

* * *

"User SnArKyGURL4U is not available."

* * *


	9. Chapter Nine

_**Chapter Nine**_

"I can't believe I asked her out." Clark eyelids opened and his mouth parted into a huge smile. He was awake well before his alarm rang. He rolled onto his back, locked his fingers behind his head, and stared at the ceiling. He remembered what he typed to Chloe: '_Chloe...I'd really want to go on a date with you Friday night...take you to the carnival... will you go with Me?' _He smiled bigger when thought of how she responded: '_Oh Clark...I'd thought you'd never ask...I'd love to_.' Clark was really surprised how easily it was to go from "Let's hang out" to "Let's go on a date."

It wasn't like he didn't pick up on Chloe's numerous hints, clues, suggestions, cues, and prompts that she wanted to date him. His parents conditioned him to keep his "gifts" a secret. He felt that he had to keep her at a safe distance, because she didn't know that he had special powers and abilities, despite her stellar investigative abilities. Now, Chloe was around him all the time, and he was just tired protecting himself from...her. Protecting himself from the possiblity that she would treat him differently, run away from him, or worse, expose him in a story. But she was just so supportive and caring and smart and beautiful and...

Clark knew he could waste the rest of his teenage years just being Chloe's friend. Or he could be brave with his emotions, like she was with hers, and express what he felt for her. He liked her. No, he loved her, he decided. He reached for the phone.

**RING RING RING**

"Uh...wha?" Chloe mumbled with a groggy voice and she grabbed her cell. Instantly, lucidity trickled into her mind. "Hello?"

"Hi!" Clark said excitedly.

"Clark?" She said. She closed her eyes again and rested her head on her fluffy pillow.

"Hi!" He said again, excitedly.

"As much as I like your voice being the first thing I hear in the morning, Kent," Chloe said, slipping the phone between the pillow and her ear, "Call me back when there is a hint of sunlight."

"Oh...its really early," Clark said, looking at the red numbers on his electric clock: 3:47 AM. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Chloe said drowsily with a smile. In her sleepy mind, she could tell in his voice, in his "Hi", that he was excited. It made her feel good; '_Lord knows he excites me_.'

"Ok," Clark said, a bit more calmly. He listened to her breathe, shallower and slower, into the reciever. She hugged her pillow and curled up in a ball, her blankets wrapped tightly around her, shielding her from the slight chill in her bedroom. "Call me back in the morning before school, Clark, and sweet dreams," she whispered. Or so she thought; she drifted off to sleep.

Clark stayed on the line. He stayed awake, and just heard her sleep. He could almost hear her heart beat. He breathed with her, wondered at what she had murmured, and smiled when she mumbled his name. She was safe in bed at home, but he kept a vigilant watch over her.

Oddly, Chloe Sullivan rarely dreamed. Her conscious mind was far too active and imaginative during the day so her mind just shut down and rested at night. That night though...she dreamed that...

_she was in utter pain, bloodied and bruised, that she was running or trying to run, dragging her right leg, her knee in tatters, running to the edge of exhaustion, to the ledge of the building and she looked back at her shadowy tormentors..."so if I fall?" she heard herself say to a brightly lit figure behind in the shadows, "would you catch me?" and she heard "Trust Me" and she jumped off the ledge, alive, with no hesitation, no fear...she fell, spinning, eyes open, arms and legs out, waiting...watching the ground, the dirt, the pavement approaching...waiting...to be caught...to be saved...and just before the her body splattered against the ground, the dirt, the asphalt...she was grabbed, hugged, swept up and flown away by...  
_  
"Clark!...Are you still there?" Chloe said hoping so, hearing Clark's alarm buzzing loudly. She wiped the sleepy drool from her chin and from the phone. The dream felt so real that she hugged her pillow tightly.

"Um...Yes...I just woke up," Clark fibbed. He spent hours and minutes listening to her sleep. Chloe took a deep breath and relaxed, happy he was there, again.

"Why didn't you just hang up?" She mumbled and untangled herself from her blankets and sheets. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"I didn't want to wake you with the phone beeping again," He said truthfully. "I guess I conked out listening to you..."

Chloe could see him blushing and she thought that was so sweet to hear. She rolled out of bed, straightened out a huge red checkered flannel shirt she slept in (it was Clark's; she promised to return it to him after she washed it after he got it all dirty helping her dad lay out a brick walkway around her house. Clark stopped asking for it back nine months ago.), slipped on huge bunny slippers and padded softly to the bathroom. She scratched her butt. "So, still walking Me to the bus-stop?"

"Yes," Clark said.

"Well, I am gunna shower and get ready," Chloe said, smiling at herself in the bathroom mirror. She wiggled her hainds into her hair.

"OK, I'm gunna get ready too," Clark said.

"I have the shower first," Chloe joked, unbuttoning the shirt. She kicked off the slippers.

"Save me some hot water," Clark said back. There was a moment when the both looked at their cell phones; they never teased each other like this and they both grinned.

"We could save the enviroment and share," Chloe said teasingly, turning on the hot water.

"Uh...," Clark said, dazed. His imagination went to a very happy place.

"See you in 40 minutes, Clark," Chloe laughed and hung up.

Clark wondered about hot water and Chloe, and it was a while before he managed to get out of bed.

* * *

Gabe Sullivan, Chloe's father, was standing at the kitchen nook, drinking some bad coffee he had made and eating burnt toast when he saw Clark walk up to the front door. But Clark didn't ring the doorbell or knock. Gabe set down the toast and walked to the window. He slowly pulled the shade aside and smiled at what he saw: Clark was gesturing and talking to the door. Gabe had a feeling that he practicing what to say to his daughter. Chloe told her father that Clark finally, finally, finally asked her out, asked her out to the carnival, of all things and was walking her to the bus stop in the morning. Gabe liked Clark; he was smart, handsome, and had a heroic streak, all qualities his daughter adored. The fact that Clark saved Chloe's life several times already made Clark a 'Golden Boy' in Gabe's book. 

"Hey Daddy," Chloe said coming down the stairs. He pressed his fingers to his lips, shushed her, and waved her over. Chloe gave her dad a curious look and went to him. They stood along the window's edge and watched Clark. They both giggled at the sight.

"You better go before he uses up all his "A" material," Gabe said and hugged Chloe. She was surprised with the hug but took it and hugged back. Gabe loved his daughter; she was bright and energetic and driven, and head over heels for Clark. And Gabe saw how Clark was around her, and knew Clark felt the same way, even if he didn't say it. If one boy was going to be Chloe's first real boyfriend, Gabe was pleased it was Clark.

Chloe purposely hid behind the door when she opened it. Suddenly her head popped out the side and Clark pretend to be shocked. She alwas did that, and he always saw through the thick door.

"Hey," Chloe said, stepped out, warmed up despite the early morning chill, and shut the door.

"Hey Chloe," Clark said back, all the things he was saying to the door all forgotten. They stood and smiled at each other for a few awkward moments. "Let's get going before we miss the bus," he said sheepishly, and she nodded. He turned and she followed and walked beside him down the curved path.

"Take her hand, son," Gabe whispered, watching from inside.

Chloe and Clark walked silently, shyly, but with each step their bodies drew closer. Both their hearts pounded, their mouths dry. They walked together to the bus-stop before, but today was a new day in their relationship. They were going to be more than friends now. They walked, bumping their hands. Clark brushed his fingers against her hand and she wiped her fingertips on his wrist. But they didn't connect hand to hand; neither was sure of the who should take hold first. Walking several feet down the sidewalk, Chloe touched his hand, his fingers again. A few feet later, Clark grabbed her little hand and interlocked her fingers. She looked up and grinned wide, hunched her shoulders, tilted her head, and blushed. She held his hand before, but this time he wasn't pulling her from danger. It felt...like their hands belonged together. Her little hand fit just right in his large one. Clark stood straighter and he smiled when he saw her beautiful face. He drew her closer to him, to keep her warm in the morning chill. She wrapped her arm around his arm, snuggled in and smiled up to him.

"YES!" Gabe cheered behind the window, spilling coffee on his shirt and watching them stepped in unison down the street.

"Do my eyes decieve me? About freaking time," Pete said with a smile, noticing Chloe and Clark's hand-holding when they walked up to the bus stop. They both blushed.

"Good things come to those that wait for a long time," Chloe said sweetly and snarkily, squeezing Clark's hand. "Clark's definately worth the wait."

"I'm just lucky Chloe didn't ask anyone else out," Clark smiled. The bus rolled up. Clark put himself between the vehicle and Chloe. She noticed and smiled.

"I'm happy about two things," Pete said. "One, its a short day schedule. And two: I'm estatic you all are together..."

Chloe squeezed Clark's hand even more.

"...because, I think you both woulda had a tough time getting dates for the next four years." Pete finished with an all-knowing grin and scampered up into the bus. Chloe looked at Clark and they gave each other guilty grins.

Chloe went first onto the bus and Clark sat by her. They held hands on the way to school, held hands when they walked onto campus, held hands in between classes, held hands at the shortened lunch, and back home on the bus. Their friends and aquaintences and their teachers and advisors didn't notice the hand-holding; to them saying "Chloe and Clark" was synonomous; to them, they were already a couple, already at the hand-holding stage, or further along.

"I can't wait for tonight," Clark said to Chloe when they stepped off the bus. Pete walked up the road a bit and waited for them.

"Me too!" Chloe bubbled. "Daddy said last night he'll drive us to the carnival." She caught Clark's curious expression and realized she was taking _him _to the carnival. "That's cool, right?"

""That's cool with me," Clark smiled. He didn't think to ask his parents or Lex for a lift.

"So be ready at ...seven?" Chloe breathed with relief.

"Seven it is," Clark said. They stood motionless and held onto each other's hand. They looked at each other and both grinned.

"I don't wanna let go," Chloe admitted; she waited through all of eighth grade and a few weeks into ninth to hold Clark's hand

"I don't wanna let you go," Clark whispered. Chloe sighed.

"I hate to break up this shiny new love connection," Pete said walking back to them, "But both ya' all have to get various things ready for tonight." Suddenly, the process of actually dating hit Chloe and Clark: They both had to primp and prepare and get ready for a DATE, not just dash out and hang out together. They looked at each other with some trepidation.

"See you tonight!" Chloe said frantically, and let go. "Same here," Clark said nervously. Pete and Clark watched her walk at a brisk pace down the road; she wondered just what the heck was warming her bottom.

"About time you hooked up with Chloe, fool," Pete joked and punched at Clark's shoulder. Clark rolled with the blow, and Pete didn't hurt his hand.

"Yeah...It was easy." Clark laughed at his past ineptitude.

"Told you!" Pete said and they shook hands. A few minutes later, with Pete and Chloe out of sight, Clark zipped down to his house. Pete expected them both to call for advice. He was only half right.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten**  
_

With each bite of Kryptonite-laced fruit that was delivered in the morning, Beppo grew more stronger, more smarter, and hated Clovis, the Smelly One, even more. Not only did he seethe about The Blonde leaving with Tall One the day before, but now the chimpanzee thought, this...Smelly One was back with more fruits. 

Clovis smiled at Beppo. He looked into the basket of mid-afternoon food, snorted with roll of his neck, and hocked a globby mess of snot onto the star-of-the-show's food.

"Chow down, freak," Clovis said and turned to leave. He made it to the door. The heathen had AGAIN expectorated onto Beppo's favorite sources of sustenance. And that mad the chimpanzee MAD.

Beppo's muscular legs shot him from where he sat watching the ending to Turner Classic Movies showing of "Bedtime For Bonzo" and the animal slammed into Clovis's back, bringing the man to his knees. Just when Clovis started to scream, Beppo slapped his hand tight on Clovis's jaw, shutting off the yelp. The chimpanzee reached over the man's chest, grabbed his opposite shoulder, pulled the jaw and head one way and yanked the shoulder the other way.

_There are twelve cervical discs in the human neck. Vertebral arteries connected to the brainstem pass through the upper six cervical vertebrae. The brainstem contained the medulla oblongata, that regulated heartbeat, blood pressure, and breathing and reflex actions. Because the medulla controlled vital life functions, an injury to the medulla was often fatal._

An oddly satisfying grinding sound made Beppo's pointy ears wiggle when he heard the first vertebra, the "atlas" which supported the head, ground down on the second vertebra, the "axis" which was a pivot, which in turn ground against the third, on the fourth, until all the discs were cracked. The beast twisted the head further, and the strong nuchal ligament that supported the head snapped. Then the brainstem was severed cleanly from the spinal cord. With his last thought, Clovis thought of the sad life he had led, and the happy life he didn't, and he knew his end was right for him. 'I ain't done a good goddmn thing mah whole life,' he thought. Then his world went black.

Beppo didn't bother to spin Clovis's head back into place and dropped him in a heap. He stared down at his tormentor. Clovis's eyes were open, but he didn't see the malevolent grin that stretched on creature's maw. Beppo felt powerful. There was a certain strength and satisfaction in ending a life. The monster liked the feeling.

Beppo's eye caught the the electronic clock on top of the television and knew that he must hide the Smelly _Dead_ One, because the Nice One that stayed in the house with him would return soon. The chimpanzee opened the door, and saw busy carnies scrambling to get things ready for the opening of the carnival later that day. Quickly, Beppo grabbed the limp lifeless body of the Smelly Dead One, used his newly-gained speed to blur around the motor home, and jam the Smelly Dead One under the main frame of the trailer. The beast grabbed crates and placed them against the motor home's side, hiding the body further. He zipped back into the house, shutting the door behind him.

Beppo grabbed a banana, washed it in the sink, walked back to the couch and watched Turner Classic Movies' next program. "Tarzan the Ape Man", the 1932 black and white Johnny Weissmuller masterpiece, aired. He didn't follow the plot on the screen because his mind had a plot of its own, a less happier one than Tarzan meeting his Jane. He waited for nightfall, for the Tall One to come within his murderous grasp, waited to claim his prize, The Blonde, once and for all.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven**  
_

Chloe Sullivan sat in a deep, sunken bathtub filled with hot water and scented bubbles, but she didn't enjoy herself. She was at the opposite of relaxed in the water and suds while she hugged her knees to her chest, gently rocking herself. Ever since her parents divorced, she took bubble baths to escape, to run from stresses in her life. Sometimes, she bathed because she was on the edge of a deadline for a term-paper in school, or to soak while she worried about a story she was writing for the school's newspaper. Lately, she was taking quite a few more bubble baths, particularly after finding herself in precarious situations that required Clark to rescue her. 

She scooped up water several times and each time let the hot water cascade down her hair and face, her neck, shoulders, and chest. She looked at the ten different types of shampoos she had lined up against the wall and on the tub rim. She selected the richest in volume and massaged it into her wet strands of hair. She twisted and yanked at her short hair creating two shampoo horns. Usually, the satyr horns reminded her of the free spirit she likened herself to be and that made her happy, but, this time, she frowned and leaned back, sinking deeper into the bubbles, only allowing the tops of her shoulders to be above water.

"This is silly, right?" she said to Plucky, a bright yellow rubber ducky that bobbed in the bubbles on the water's surface. Plucky was her bubble bath confidant, and more often than not, Plucky heard Chloe's theories, conjectures, and hypotheses before she spoke them outside the bathroom walls. Plucky silently floated away because Chloe's underwater movements caused ripples in the water. "Figures… even you're no help," she frowned. Sticking her tongue out at the useless toy, realization hit her. "Jeeze, what am I doing? This is so not a life or death situation here." Plucky bounced against the side of the tub, turned and stared at her. "Yeah, I know...I know, " she sighed at Plucky. It was far dire than that.

Chloe did not have an outfit to wear on The Date.

Just 15 minutes earlier, Chloe had raced home for the benefit of Clark and Pete, but just laughed when she closed her front door. She had clothes. She had style. She had panache that Smallville had never seen. She worried a bit because it WAS a date with Clark, their First Date, but she had mentally walked her way through getting ready and going out so many times already (her favorite scenario was going to the drive-in, but she knew either she or Clark needed wheels for THAT one) that, to her, The First Date was going to be a breeze and getting ready for it even more so. She had no worries. She walked into the kitchen and poured a bowl of Chex party mix (her favorite snack other than a Clark bar) and grabbed a Starbucks Frappaccino from the refrigerator. She looked at the Felix the Cat kitchen clock; it was 1:30 PM. She scoffed aloud, "Clark's the one that's gonna scramble between now and seven." At seven PM, they were going to the carnival together. She already laid out an outfit on her desk, in her room upstairs. She was as utterly confident and cocky as when she'd explain to Clark something important about defeating a 'meteor freak'.

Chloe hummed happily and headed up the stairs and that's when her crisis on seemingly infinite levels began.

Carefully unlocking the deadbolt on the door to her spacious room with her key, she balanced the bowl of Chex mix and the Starbucks bottle. She had a bit of trouble when she twisted the doorknob, but succeeded. With her hip, she bumped the door open and smiled at the brand new outfit she bought just for the _eventual_ date: a vintage, two sizes too large, powder blue long-sleeve button up shirt. It had royal blue pinstripes and delicate ruffles from the collar to chest. The fabric was crimped and really soft, much like Clark's hands, she thought. She loved the shirt. Under it, Chloe was going to wear a white scooped tank top, and planned on having the blue button up open a bit to show off...her chest. She blushed. She never seemed so brazen when it came to her figure but now she thought she wanted Clark to check her out. Or check her out even more than he now was doing. She smiled, liking that he was looking at her the same way she checked him out. It was that kind of thinking that was the influential factor in what pants she decided to wear. She rarely wore jeans but she had one pair, perfectly broken in and faded Levi 501's that caught Clark's eye quite a bit before she got the beige cargo pants. Of course, her Doc Martens would be her footwear. 'I'll wear that tonight,' she thought looking at the clothes on the desk, '...a touch of make-up...a hint of perfume and...'

Chloe's boot caught the spine of the thesaurus she left on the carpet and the book slid, taking her foot with it. She lurched and her eyes went wide. She lost control of the bottle and bowl in her hands, and while she toppled away, she watched the bottle float in the air and tip forward, spilling the creamy dark brown liquid and splatter onto her new shirt, new tank, and ONLY pair of jeans.

**"No. Freaking. WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"  
**  
Chloe didn't even care about the Chex mix that scattered everywhere. She cared about the bottle landed perfectly on the laid out clothes, on its side, and how it poured the entire contents onto the soft fabric. Chloe's tummy immediately went acidic. She grabbed the bottle but the damage was done. She just whimpered and picked through the soaked clothes; she dropped to her knees, knowing instantly that the vintage shirt and tank were ruined.

"Okay...breathe, Chloe," She reminded herself. She looked at the clothing and knew, absolutely knew now she was in a bind. She crawled to her closet, opened the folding double doors, and kneeled, her butt on her boot heels, looking up at her vast wardrobe. Her closet was filled with the cute and the quirky, the fashionable and the eccentric. Unfortunately, it was filled with clothes that Clark already saw her in. Panicking, she lunged and tore clothes off the hangers, tossing them to the floor, looking for clothes that looked hot, looked sexy, looked cute and that Clark hadn't seen so many times before. That didn't work.

She screamed and foolishly looked through the empty, unused hamper in the bathroom. Back in her bedroom (her actual hamper was the floor), she picked through four different piles of dirty clothes she had in corners, blocked off so her boys, Clark and Pete, couldn't see them. Nothing to wear in the piles.

She dove and dug under her bed for clothes she knew she kicked under it when the boys came over unannounced. She just found bras, panties and two more flannels that once belonged to Clark, a fact he didn't truly know yet. She quickly hugged the flannels, folded and layed them down carefully at the foot of her bed and ran frantically downstairs. She kicked open the door to the pantry, almost knocked herself out when the door slammed back, and checked in the washer and dryer. Nothing new miraculously appeared. She ran back upstairs. She looked around her room, eyes darting, hand ready to grab, knees flex to spring her towards something, anything.

"Come on, Chloe; think of what you can wear. Come on. You've been through worse than this. Come on, Chloe. Think. Mix and match stuff. OK...maybe you're wrong. **THINK DAMN IT. THINNNNNNNNNNNNK!**"

For a girl that could think there was life on other planets, and thought that alien life forms visited Earth (she desperately wanted to see an UFO or an alien, 'that would be the coolest.' she would think), Chloe could not think of anything. Growling, she turned and looked at herself in the mirror...and saw a blemish on her cheek. A rosy red blemish with a whitish bump.

"That better not be a zit," She told herself and checked her cheekbone. She moisturized, exfoliated, buffed, and washed, but all that skin care she dutifully performed everyday was apparently not enough. "**THAT'S A DAMNED ZIT!**"' she screamed.

It was too much for her, too much at one time. She crumbled to the carpet and curled up in a tight ball. Her room was more of a mess than usual with every article of clothing she owned or snitched from Clark strewn around. She had a pimple. In 15 minutes, her day was shot. 'Bubbles...oh god, I need bubbles,' Chloe thought and crawled on her elbows and knees into the bathroom. She ripped off her clothes, lit a lavender candle she hoped would soothe her, slipped a Weezer CD in the disc player, and started her bubble bath, and just soaked, hoping to wash away all her worries.

'_I don't even have a gal pal to call in times like these_,' Chloe thought and she took a breath, closed her eyes, and slid under the water. The hot water was bliss, like when Clark looked at her, and held her after he saved her. She began to think clearly. '_OK...get it together Chloe. You used **'gal pal' **in a sentence and, worse, you meant it...ok, Chloe, you're in trouble and what do you do? Normally I call Clark, but he's my date, and I think there's a law against calling your date to help out on the first date_,' she reasoned to herself. '_There's Pete, but he's a boy, too. I need a girl_.'

Suddenly, Chloe shot out of the tub and ran wet and naked into her bedroom. She looked briefly at her window. The mini-blinds were angled so she could look out and so that a certain peeping tom with a telescope couldn't look into her bedroom. Maybe again he could, after tonight. 'He's probably freaking out just as bad as I am.' That thought comforted Chloe enough to calm down. She dug through piles of clothes, found her knapsack, and sat on her bed. Chloe took a deep breath when the panic again creeped into her pores. She grabbed her cell phone out of the sack and tapped on the buttons. She always called on Clark when she was in trouble, but this time the voice she sought was different.

"The Talon. This is _Lana_, how can I help you?"


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve**  
_

Pete Ross got home, and checked to see if there were any phone messages from Erica Fox. Not yet, but one stood out much like the person that sent it, Clark, did when Pete invited him over during the annual Ross Family Reunion. Pete chuckled at that memory. He listened to Clark's message. 

"PETE! Its Me...I know you probably just got home, but can you come and help me get ready for tonight? Please? I...I don't know what to do..."

Pete smiled. He was happy that his friend finally stepped up and asked Chloe out. The poor girl was infatuated with Clark, and sometimes it seemed like he was from another planet around her, ignoring her advances. Pete would listen on the phone to Chloe's laments: Clark could save her, but not date her; he would spend hours with her, but not quality hours with her, the kind she desperately desired. At least now, Pete thought, he didn't have to hear any more of Chloe's whining. Downside: now he had to hear Clark's. He heard Clark's groveling on the message; "Dude...I can't talk to the girls like you can...I can't dress stylish like you...you have those skills...I don't..."

Pete smiled; Clark might have the height and the body that Pete envied, but Pete slept good at night knowing his friend lacked his pimpin' ways with the ladies and certainly wasn't the clotheshorse that he was either.

"I don't wanna sound like a big dumb wuss," Clark said, already venturing dangerously close to Big Dumb Wussville. "But I need your help getting ready for this date. I'm totally sorry I didn't take your advice with Chloe before and totally sorry for rambling now." Pete shook his head. Their were times Clark was super confident, like when he, Pete, and Chloe were on the hunt for a "meteor freak," and times when he was too mild mannered. This was a mild mannered moment. Pete listened and heard the deal-maker:

"Mom'll make us something to eat," Clark promised. "Please call Me...please help. Bye."

Pete grinned. He had a slight crush on Clark's mom and loved anything that she made in her kitchen. He called Clark and Clark answered on the first half ring.

"Pete?" Clark said frantically. "Is this Pete? _Pete_?"

"Yes, Clark, it's Pete...get out all your gear out so we can figure out whatcha gunna wear," Pete said. He laughed when he heard Clark's "Sweet!"

Ten minutes later, Pete and Clark sat silently in Clark's bedroom, eating what his mom made and looking down on Clark's bed. All of Clark's ideas of what to wear were laid out on the bed, nicely folded. Pete guessed his mom did that. Pete chomped down on the delicious polish sausage in a bun sandwich and looked at the sea of red and blue: 20 flannels with patterns of checkers big and little, stripes thick or thin or just plain colored; 5 red shirts and 5 blue shirts (with or without pockets) and 10 denims. Oddly, to Pete, a yellow sweater was also on the bed.

"It looks like those gangs, the Crips and the Bloods, left you their laundry," Pete joked after he swallowed the chomp. Clark laughed and nodded.

"Let's narrow down what I should wear," Clark said and laid down his plate.

"I hate to break it to you, Clark," Pete said looking at his best bud, "but you wear just two colors. That's as narrow as its gets."

"SO!...They...just seem right to wear," Clark said like a fussy kid. He loved those colors and grabbed a flannel with both of those hues. He held it up to see if it passed Pete's eye for style. Pete shook his head to Clark's sadness.

"Dude...2 of those flannels are the same," Pete said, pointed at the two flannels and laughed.

"Really?" Clark looked and Pete was right. He had two of a red flannel with crimson stripes on it.

"I used to get so many," Clark explained. "They get shredded battling..."freaks." Clark said with distaste, because he felt responsible for bringing the meteorites to earth in the first place.

"Don't look sad, dude," Pete said looking at the expression on Clark's face. "It's just a flannel. I seriously thought you had more flannels though."

"I did. But I have one word about that, man... Chloe," Clark said and wondered if he should give her the extra flannel or just set it out when she comes over and let it walk away in her knapsack.

"She's a total thief, Bro," Pete agreed. "I showed her a letter I wrote to Erica Fox. She grabbed it two days ago and held it ransom for a 4 pack of Starbucks frappacchino. I hope karma kicks her ass _today_."

"But at least she gives your stuff back," Clark said enviously, deciding to let Chloe snitch the flannel. "I have to trade _my_ stuff for _my stuff_." Pete just looked at his tall friend incredulously. "And Mom said she and Dad weren't going to buy me new clothes until I get some shirts and flannels back from Chloe," Clark explained further, holding up a shirt and flannel to Pete, and tossed them aside when Pete shook his head. "So a few nights ago, she and I are in the loft, kicking back on the couch, and Chloe just laughed in my face when I asked for two flannels back, saying I better get used to the idea of running around naked." In Clark's mind he saw her snarky smile. "I said 'naked? I still have pants,' and she said, "Are you challenging me?'...Right then her dad honks, and I walk her to the car and see her off."

Pete grinned at Clark, who stared at a picture of Chloe with a smile on his face.

"Later, when I called to make sure she got home safe, she asks all cutesy, 'missing anything?' ...Pete, a pair of jeans were gone _FROM MY ROOM _! Dude, I swear, she never left my sight. I have no clue how she snitched them!"

"You're not the most observant person at times, are you?" Pete chuckled. Clark shrugged. But he saw a happy glint in Clark's eye while he told his story that made Pete wonder if Clark was really that gullible, really that oblivious, or really just loved playing mouse to Chloe's cat. Clark showed him flannel after flannel, shirt after shirt, mixing and matching, and Pete shook his head over and over.

"Well, that all of them," Pete announced. Clark tossed the last flannel onto the floor. Clark fell face first onto the bed, and shook the room. Pete sat on the edge of the bed. "Chloe's seen you in all of this. We all have. Just get a new shirt, Bro."

"I'm already using my all of my allowance for the carnival," Clark said and rolled over. "For tickets and to buy Chloe drinks and food if she wants."

"Don't you save any money?" Pete asked, handing Clark the plate he laid down.

"Not really," Clark admitted. "Chloe and I pool our money and blow it on stuff for each other over the weekends." He bite into his sausage dog.

"Really?" Pete said.

"Yeah," Clark smiled. "She got me this. Check this out." He grabbed a picture frame adorned with 2 playing card aces, and said 'A Winning Pair'. It held a picture of Chloe and Clark in their swimsuits (Chloe in cut-offs, a white tank and a Hawaiian floral print bikini top. Clark wore long blue surf shorts) that Pete took during summer. "Chloe said a special picture like that needed a special frame. I like it."

"Next time you save a life, ask for a reward," Pete said, now a little envious of Clark and Chloe's closeness.

"I got hooked up at the video store," Clark smiled. "Look." He pulled out a laminated card from the video store that had special printing that said "Lifetime Free Rentals Up To $15.00". The owner's son was saved by Clark during the summer, and the owner graciously gave Clark the card.

"Score!" Pete yelled, surprised, looking at the card. He gave Clark a high five swat.

"Yeah!" Clark shouted back. "Plus, the owner always gives Me and Chloe a bag of microwaveable popcorn, 2 boxes each of Twizzlers, a box of Raisinets for me, a box of Milk Duds for Chloe, and bottles of soda for us!"

"But unless he can hook you up with a 'Video Korner' shirt," Pete said curtly, "the card won't help you tonight." Pete was surprised that Clark didn't tell him he had the card for a while it seemed, or tell him that he was using it with Chloe. She didn't even mention it. Pete felt a little hurt.

"Yeah," Clark said sadly, his happy balloon shot down by Pete. He looked at the clothes on the floor. "Maybe I'll wear the red shirt with the red and blue flannel."

"No. No. No." Pete said, swinging back into helpful mode. "Chloe let it slip to Erica and Erica slipped it to me that Chloe thought you looked HOT in blue."

"Really? Hot?" Clark smiled. "Blue what?"

"Blue anything," Pete laughed. Clark dove to the floor, and started to sort the blue clothes from the red. Pete chomped on his sausage dog.

Suddenly the door swung open.

A certain suave bald man dressed nattily in black walked in.

"Clark! I want that rematch game of pool...let's go rack up some balls and put pool sticks between...," Lex Luthor said, entering Clark's domain without care or warning. He saw Clark on all fours, looking back at Lex over his shoulder. "Between...between," Lex stammered.

"You'd think that with all that private schooling you'd be taught to knock on a door," Pete said with an edge.

"Oh...Peter...hello," Lex said coldly, noticing Pete on the bed.

"Hey, Lex," Clark said, hopped up and grabbed his plate.

"Really, go about what you were doing," Lex said, voice like warmed massage oil. Pete set aside his plate with disgust. "I heard of laundry day, but never actually witnessed it" Lex said, voice inquistive.

"It's not laundry day," Clark laughed. Lex nodded. "Besides, I'm done," Clark said. Lex kept an impassive face despite the pain. He watched Clark eat some chips.

"What's in the buns that smells delicious?" Lex asked.

"I WAS eating a polish sausage." Pete snapped.

"Yeah. They're great," Clark said and took a bite.

"Scottish sausage is what you should really partake, Clark," Lex hinted. "Again, why the sorting?"

"I am getting ready for tonight. I have THAT date," Clark said with a grin.

"Oh yes, THAT date" Lex said smiling back.

"Yes, a date. With a GIRL," Pete said with a smile. Lex gave him a smile back, and cursed him with his thoughts. "Clark finally asked Chloe out."

"Yes, I know all about Clark's love for Chloe, Peter. He called and told _me_ last night," Lex revealed. Pete choked and glared at Lex with watery eyes. Clark's best friend drank some pop to wash down the glob in throat. Pete didn't know that Clark told Lex he loved Chloe. Or that he had called Lex about the date. Clark didn't call him. He smouldered and nodded at his friend. "Good for her," Lex said. He looked at Clark. "Why the division between the red and blue?"

"Chloe likes me wearing blue," Clark said and put all the clothes on the chair he sat on. "And I want to please her."

"As well as you should," Lex said.

"Pete, what do I wear from here?" Clark asked and held up a shirt.

"Were I to dress you down...I mean up, I'd...," Lex started.

"He asked me, ALEX," Pete snapped. He remembered Chloe calling about how she spent the day dressing up Clark. "And Clark isn't a dress up-toy. For you, that is."

Lex took a step.

Pete stood up.

Pete hated the Lex because Lex's father, Lionel, bought the controlling share of Ross Creamed Corn Amalgamated (makers of "The Creamiest Corn" brand), and removed the Ross family from the board of directors. While Lionel gave the Ross' a modest buyout, now Pete's family struggle with their now-small farm. Pete took his anger out on Lex. Lex simply suffered Pete because he was Clark's friend, and he parried with Pete to pass time. Clark looked at both with startled doe eyes. He hated being caught between Lex and Pete; they always seem to bicker at each other.

**"I NEED HELP WITH CLOTHES!"** Clark shouted. Lex and Pete looked at him. "Can't you two just help me and not squabble?"

"Truce?" Pete said.

"Detente, Peter." Lex whispered and made himself comfortable on Clark's bed, laying back on the pillows. Pete scooted away.

"Ok," Clark said with a with a wary look at them. He knew it was going to be an uneasy truce. "Pete said go with the blue because Chloe likes me in it. Is there anything in this pile that I can wear?"

"We already picked through that, Bro," Pete reminded and sat down. "Nothing is going to pop up for you."

"Too bad," Lex said. Pete shot a look at him. Lex grinned.

"Dang," Clark said and dropped the shirt from his hand. "Lex, any ideas?"

"I have SACK full of ideas," Lex said easily. Pete seethed. "But it's unfortunate, however, I can't suggest black on black. Black is so stylish."

"Once you go black," Pete boasted, "you never go back."

"I hear that," Lex agreed and they smiled at each other. They realized what they were doing and quickly looked back at Clark, their friendly moment done.

"Clark's problem is they don't make a dressy flannel," Pete said. He and Lex chuckled.

"Why don't they?" Clark sighed.

"Your trademark rugged-farmboy look just won't do on this First Date, Clark," Lex reasoned to his friend. "Right, Peter?" Pete actually nodded. "And I won't criticize your desire to limit the colors in your palette. I wear only one color," Lex said, brushing his black silk shirt, black leather belt, and black silk pants with the back of his fingertips with one smooth motion. Clark smiled. "But I see the dilemma not so much as the clothes here as the much as the condition of the clothes here."

"Oh," Clark said and sat between Lex and Pete. Pete nodded again; he hated when Lex made sense.

"Chloe likes seeing you in these items. May even love how you look," Lex said, sitting now next to Clark. "But think with me: you're wearing these exact same clothes doing hot sweaty farm work in the Sun, bailing hay, feeding the cows, roping the horses, cleaning the stables, all of your muscles flexing, bulging." Lex stopped and took a breath. "All that breaks down the fabric, correct?"

"Yeah," Clark said, though he thought of Chloe wearing a wet white tank top and denim cutoffs doing farm chores. That was a favorite fantasy of Clark's. Pete thought of Erica Fox the whole time.

"Therein lies the problem. All of your clothes are nice, Clark, but sun-faded," Lex told his friend. "Once they were bright and new. Now they are serviceable."

"I hate to say it, but Mr. Clean is right," Pete admitted.

"Clark, you know you bore me to death talking about Chloe," Lex reminded Clark with a smile and let Pete's remark slide. Clark smiled back. "How she has style. How she has flair. How you think she's an original. And tonight is a special night for her and there is NOTHING in Smallville for you to buy that could possibly complement to what she could think of and wear."

"Nothing at Fordman's?" Clark asked. Hoped. Lex rolled his eyes.

"Nothing at Wal-Mart, dude," Pete said when Clark looked at him.

"I'm so screwed," Clark said and fell back on his bed. He covered his head with a pillow.

"Yeah, Bro," Pete whispered. "You are."

"Not so," Lex said. "I have an idea."

"What's that?" Clark said, pulling the pillow away.

"Gentlemen," Lex said and stood in front of Clark and Pete. "We go to Metropolis...My treat...I'll have shoppers ready...we will shop for the right clothes in the right boutiques...to awe Miss Sullivan the way she awes you, Clark...and have you back in time to get the clothes fashionably wrinkled."

"Really?" Clark said. He was always stunned with Lex's generosity towards him. But this was unreal. Lex nodded. "How?"

"My helicopter," Lex said easily, like he were to say "my car."

"Pete, wanna go to Metropolis?" Clark asked, looking at Pete. He pleaded silently.

"I hate to say it, Bro, but it's a bitchin' idea," Pete smiled. The boys each took a bite of their snacks.

"Sadly, I must call an end to this sausage fest. Let's go," Lex said, his heart breaking. He headed out the doorway. Clark and Pete followed.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter Thirteen**  
_

Chloe thought that it was really weird for her to call Lana Lang, weird even by Smallville standards. Especially for any help. Especially if the help regarded her date with Clark. But, last year, the Monday after the Sadie Hawkins Dance debacle, Lana went up to Chloe and apologized for "messing up your moment with Clark." Chloe accepted the apology, albeit begrudgingly. While the eighth grade year went on, Chloe and Lana hung out in different cliques (Lana with all the popular kids, Chloe with just Clark and Pete), but they helped pass each other's notes around and helped each other with school work. It was when Lana asked Chloe to sign her 8th grade yearbook that Chloe realized that Lana was friendlier to her that whole school year than she was to Lana. They became friendly acquaintances during summer break and at the start of the freshmen year of high school. 

"Lana...hi, it's Chloe," she said, wrapping her wet naked body with a towel and sat on her bed.

"Chloe, hi...," Lana said with a smile and got out her order pad; Chloe would call ahead, order two tall double mocha espressos for her and a cherry lemonade for her father and arrive with her father to pick them up. "Want the usual?"

"Actually...," Chloe smiled at the opening. "I want the **_UN_**usual..."

"OK," Lana said with a grin to a customer and handed him an eclair. "Ask away."

"_ClarkaskedmeonadatetothecarnivalandIspilledcoffeeonmyclothesandIamsoscrewed ! _" Chloe screamed quickly. Her nervous habit of babbling fast reared its head again.

"What?" Lana said and furrowed her brow. "All I got was Clark asked you out and the rest was garbled screaming. You sound like a wounded animal."

"OK...," Chloe said and laid back on her bed. She willed herself calm. "Yes...Clark asked me out..."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Lana interrupted with the truthful.

"Thanks, but I spilled coffee all over my clothes," Chloe said sadly. Lana winced; coffee and clothes did not mix. Lana wondered how many shirts Chloe had lost to spills and drips. "And I have a big ugly zit," Chloe lamented. "I can't call Clark or Pete. I don't.."

"How can I help?" Lana cut in. She was touched that Chloe called her. She thought Chloe was a smart girl with such a cute crush on Clark. And she was happy that she helped Chloe by playing matchmaker the night before while they chatted online (she giggled when she saw Chloe's instant message of 'Lana...I'm trying to get that big dumb gorgeous boy to take me to the carnival...please suggest we all go together!'). She waved over Zoe Garfield, a classmate that worked at the Talon, and pointed to the register. Zoe nodded and took over, leaving Lana to talk on the phone.

"I'd really like it if you could come over," Chloe said in a tiny voice, "and help me figure out an outfit to wear tonight... and maybe help with me with make up?"

"I've been DYING to do your make-up!" Lana said excitedly into the phone. "I tell all the girls you'd look so cute with some make-up on!" Lana's boyfriend, Whitney, heard Lana while he sat in his corner booth. He nodded and smiled at her and she waved back. He turned to his at his teammates on the football team and rolled his eyes.

"I _wear_ make-up," Chloe said, surprised.

"Oh," Lana said caught off guard. "Um...anyways, you didn't have a backup outfit?"

"I wasn't expecting a disaster," Chloe admitted.

"Chloe, a girl should ALWAYS have a backup outfit," Lana advised, and knew she had to tell Chloe 'The Lana Rules of Dating'. "I'm surprised you didn't know that."

"I didn't," Chloe whispered.

"I have more advice for you," Lana said simply and sat on padded stool. "But I'll share that when I get there."

"Ok. If worse comes to worse," Chloe said, "We could put something together that's quirky..."

"Tonight we go for cute, not quirky," Lana said with a knowing authority to her voice.

"Clark likes me quirky," Chloe said back defensively. "He said so. I think I have it on tape."

"I'm sure you do. But he will LOVE you all cute," Lana said with a giggle she hoped would relax Chloe. She reminded herself to notify the staff to start slipping Chloe de-caffeinated coffee in all her orders.

"Well," Chloe said, catching on that Lana wanted to help her take Clark's breath away. She felt like opening up to her. "I think he loves me anyways."

"Good!" Lana said without any envy. "Let's cement that thought then!"

"OK," Chloe said with a giggle at Lana's enthusiasm. Then she remembered Lana used to be the head cheerleader.

"I'll bring some shirts, some make-up, and some things for your hair," Lana thought aloud. "But you're much too curvy for any of my pants and skirts...we'll work on that when I get there."

"OK," Chloe blushed. "You're a lifesaver!"

"Your personal lifesaver is Clark," Lana said, and they both giggled. "Me? I'm you're new best girlfriend!"

"You're my ONLY girlfriend," Chloe said, amazed that Lana was so eager to be 'best girlfriends'. "When can you get here?"

"In two hours," Lana. "Everyone from school is starting to pour in."

"OHMYGOD!" Chloe said, the panic returning. "What do I do in the meantime?"

"When I stress or when I get bummed out and suffer from the '_Blah_nas', a hot bubble bath, scented candles, and tunes from my CD player always does the trick," Lana offered.

It started with a little snort. Then it grew to a chuckle. Suddenly Chloe started laughing like a maniac. It was surreal: Lana and Chloe de-stressed the same way; Smallville was officially in 'The Twilight Zone'.

"Good idea," Chloe said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "See ya."

"Umm...ok," Lana said, thinking Chloe was a nice girl, but very strange. 'Chasing down those strange stories with Clark must have rubbed off on her,' she thought. "See ya in two hours!"

An hour and a half later, Lana left the Talon in Zoe's capable hands (and told her she was going to slip some extra cash in her paycheck envelope for having to miss out on the opening of the carnival; Zoe thought Lana was the coolest, even if Lana was younger than she was by 3 years). She walked into the back-alley, got into her little red 1978 Corvette Stingray (it belonged to her Aunt Nell, who fell in love with the GM-made car after seeing "Corvette Summer" four times at the drive-in with Jonathan Kent back in '78...'well, HE saw that movie the fourth time,' Nell thought with a wicked grin whenever she saw Jonathan in town), and drove it toward the cottage house. Aunt Nell adopted Lana after the death of her parents in the 'Great Meteor Shower of 1989' and they lived in that cottage since then.

Zipping along, she pressed a button on a remote connected to a CD changer behind her seat. The non-stock CD player changed discs and, instead of the listening to "Thankyou" by Dido, the song she and her friend Felice Chandler listened to on the way to school, a new disc, a compilation of old alternative rock, started to play. She skipped ahead to the song that she thought personified her.

"I might like you better if we slept together...I might like you better if we slept together... I might like you better if we slept together...But there's somethin' in your eyes that says Maybe...that's never..._NEVER SAY NEVER_," Lana Lang sang loudly.

Lana loved driving alone. She could be herself and not what people wanted her to be, what they thought she should be, living for their ideals. At school, she was in the National Honors Society, on the school's cross country track team, in "The Shutterbugs" photography club, was France in the Model United Nations, on the "The Statesmen" debate team, and until two months into the new school year, she was the head cheerleader on every squad every year since anyone could remember.

After school and on weekends, she showed her horse in Dressage competitions, and won many ribbons and trophies. Nell somehow found time for her to volunteer at the home for the elderly, read to children at the local library, organize blood drives, food drives, clothing drives, and she recently started a partnership with Lex Luthor in ownership of the local coffeehouse/movie theater, The Talon.

On the surface, Lana Lang had the perfect life; Girls wanted to be like her, boys wanted to be with her. She had the perfect car, the perfect clothes, in the perfect classes, had the perfect friends.

Under the surface, Lana Lang _hated _ her life. She was burning the candles at both ends, and her Aunt Nell was burning the middle of the wick. The more Lana excelled, the more she felt the pressure not to fail and she couldn't enjoy any of her accomplishments and her achievements, because she was SUPPOSED to excel. Failure was not an option, and neither was being average.

No one knew that Lana started to throw up blood, from all the stress. Or that she was losing weight. She wished she could be normal. She envied Chloe's joie de vie. She wished she could just be like Chloe and worry about a date rather than profit margins and payrolls. She hated being a role model and always having to make the right decision. So, she purposely made...interesting choices.

She liked boys, maybe too much so. There was an unspoken _reason_ why Whitney Fordman, a senior at school, was her boyfriend even though she was just a freshman. She hid cigarette packs in the attic of her Victorian dollhouse. She loved the taste of wine coolers, of a cold beer, and so much more that would scandalize Smallville if its adult denizens ever found out. She had secret vices. No one noticed the small anarchy symbol she drew on her folder. Her role model was Sarah Michelle Geller's character "Kathryn" in the movie "Cruel Intentions," a DVD she watched incessently.

The Perfectly Pink Lana Lang was a facade, a front, and a wall...and there was times when she wanted to kill herself over it. She took the turn in the road sharply and let the back wheels slide. She hit the gas and the back wheel grabbed and lurched her forward into the straightaway. She shrugged. Some day tires would keep slide while she gassed it, and she'd spin out of control and wrap the car onto a tree-trunk. She wondered when that was going to happen, and wished it would happen soon.

After arriving, and up in her room, Lana gathered some of her darling shirts, cute sweaters, charming blouses and put them in her pink and white Yves Saint Laurent overnight bag. She went into her bathroom and got her curlers, hairdryer, brushes and combs and slipped them in another YSL bag. She hauled the two bags and her make-up case outside, tossed the bags on the passenger seat, and put the case in the trunk. She peeled out of the driveway with a smile, and drove to Chloe's house.

"Hey," Chloe greeted Lana at the front door exactly two hours after her call, wearing her dad's old baggy holey sweatpants and a HUGE Smallville High School PE shirt. She waved Lana into her house.

"Hey," Lana said back and entered. She read the name in black ink in a white bar on the front of Chloe's shirt. "You took Clark's PE shirt? Whitney laughs about Clark having to run laps everyday since he doesn't have the proper uniform."

"Clark will figure out I have it," Chloe said with a smug smile. She led Lana upstairs. "I'll give it back when he asks nicely."

"It's been six weeks," Lana said, liking what she saw of Chloe's house. It was very homey.

"_Eventually_ he will figure it out and ask," Chloe said, getting to her bedroom door. "Besides, I like that I am keeping him in shape."

"There are other ways to do that," Lana said, watching Chloe unlock the deadbolt on her door. She thought that it was odd, because they were alone in the house. "With you more involved," she finished suggestively.

"LANA !" Chloe said shocked, her eyes wide at Lana's innuendo.

"Just saying," Lana said with a wink. They walked into the bedroom. Chloe put her arms out and spun slowly to show off the mess.

"Wow," Lana said, her turn to be wide-eyed. Chloe's room look like a small tornado whipped through it and tossed all her clothes around. "You really freaked out. I'm impressed."

"Thanks. I was gunna pick up," Chloe said and sat on her bed. "But I figured it was easier to pick out skirts and dresses this way."

"This was such a cute outfit," Lana said, looking at the coffee-soaked clothing. "I wish I could wear daring clothes like this." Despite the colder weather, Lana wore the complete summer collection from Abercrombie and Fitch: a pink Sabrina polo shirt, a white cotton Jacqueline Flirty mini skirt, white ankle sox with two cute pink fuzzy balls on each sock, and white leather pumas with a pink stripe. Lana was a prep, like all the girls in her clique. The only daring clothing Lana did wear was always hidden under her clothes. Or even more daring sometimes, nothing at all.

"Why don't you?" Chloe said easily. "There's no law that says you can't."

"There's an unspoken law," Lana said and turned to Chloe. "I have to buy certain clothes from certain stores, and wear them certain days. All of my friends do it too"

"That sounds stupid," Chloe said, sipping from her carefully-held bottle of coffee. "Just wear what you like."

"That's what I like about you Chloe," Lana said with a warm smile. "You wear what you like, and don't care what people say."

"People say _stuff_?" Chloe asked. She didn't know her style was that controversial. Or disliked.

"I mean, people say that you're...original," Lana said and picked through some of clothes on the floor. "I, for one, love your style."

Chloe smiled and they picked-thru the clothes, sorting out the too quirky from the too unique. Chloe looked at the clock, and wished she read it wrong: it was already 5 PM.

"What about this?" Chloe asked. It was a long black canvas dress, with huge pockets on the side. The bottom was cut asymmetrically. "I bought it on a whim and wore it once."

"Hmm...It has potential," Lana whispered. She looked at Chloe. "Won't show your legs at all, but I'll rectify that."

"Whatcha mean?" Chloe said, watching Lana take the dress. Lana crawled very unladylike, opened her bags, yanked out the shirts, and handed them to Chloe. "Try these on while I cut up your dress."

"WHAT are you doing?" Chloe watched Lana slice into the dress.

"Shh...," Lana whispered and cut. "I have done this a billion times when Nell buys me a dress or skirt that's way too damn modest for my liking."

"Ok," Chloe said, surprised at this Lana, one she never seen before. "You seem a little...different than what I see at school."

"For some reason, I'm relaxed around you," Lana admitted with a smile. "I don't have to be 'Miss Perfect Lil' Pink Princess'...don't have to be fake around you."

"Are you fake around your friends?" Chloe hoped it sounded genuinely concerned, and not like an interview question.

"They wouldn't know it," Lana said with a bitter laugh. She cut a ring around the dress, chopping seven inches off and frayed out the new hem. "They're fake, too. You're not fake at all. That's another thing I like about you."

Chloe smiled at Lana.

"I like this burgundy one with the ties in the back," Chloe said after picking thru the colorful array of cotton polo tops and knit shirts that Lana brought with her. "But...no offense...it's still too plain for my taste."

"Slip it on," Lana said, setting down the dress. Chloe slipped off her PE shirt (she wore a bra underneath) and tugged down on the burgundy shirt. "It's a bit too tight."

"Tight _is_ good!" Lana said with a smile, and hopped up with the scissors. She grabbed the front collar and made a cut in the middle of it. A shocked look flashed on Chloe's face when she saw Lana hold the two ends and ripped down, making a deep V shape in the neck.

"BAM! Instant cleavage," Lana laughed. "It's not plain anymore!"

"Whoa!" Chloe said, looking down at her chest. It seemed bigger, fuller. "_Look_ at those!"

"Wow! Nice!" Lana said, stepping back and nodding. "I bet you'll catch Clark talking to your chest at some point tonight."

"The way these are popping out," Chloe said, looking at her chest in the reflection in the mirror. "He can't miss them. But...the V is too deep."

"Too deep? It shows off 'the ladies' just right," Lana explained.

"Dad is going to think it shows too much," Chloe said with a smile.

"OK," Lana said, rolling her eyes. "Wear a tank under it."

Chloe put the shirt on over a white tank.

"Looks good," Chloe admitted.

"You coulda shown more flesh," Lana said. "Now turn around."

Chloe turned and Lana slit the slides of the shirt just a bit and tied the back strings tight, accentuating Chloe's waist. "You've got a great figure, Chloe. I'm a stick compared to you."

Blushing, Chloe slipped off the sweats, slid on the dress and looked in the mirror.

"Combining your quirkiness and my preppiness," Lana said, pleased with herself, "just gave that outfit a sexy overhaul!"

"Wow! You ain't lying!" Chloe said into Lana's reflection in the mirror. "Now I have to see the dress on while I wear my boots."

"No boots! Please!" Lana said. She looked around for Chloe's boots to hide them.

"No WAY!" Chloe said and ran to her boots.

"Hello?" Lana said with a smile, watching Chloe put on two pairs of thick sox. "You always wear them. They are so clunky..."

"Hello? Clark is my date," Chloe reminded Lana. "Maybe if I was going out with...with," Chloe couldn't even think of dating anyone else, "with some boy... I might wear different shoes...maybe even buy heels. But you remember what happened: His huge ol' boot crushed my cute lil' footsie..."

"Oh yeah." Lana remembered that sickening crunching sound. "That's a concern. He'll be all nervous and that could make him clumsy. Are they steel toed?"

"God yes," Chloe nodded empathically. "I had him step on them a few times and no dents...yet."

"Ok Chloe...I'll let you wear the boots," She smiled and they giggled. "Now...where's your makeup?..."


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter Fourteen **  
_  
_An hour earlier in the stately, ancestral Luthor Mansion..._

Lex Luthor strolled away from the arboretum where he had just concluded a leveraged buyout of a small research firm, Cadmus-Kathryn NeoPharmecuticals. Before the ink was dry on the contract, though, Lex himself was swiftly bought out by his father, Lionel Luthor. Lionel's corporate spies' Swedish bank accounts swelled accordingly.

Moving through the west wing of the mansion, up the spiral staircase and down the long rich oak panaled hallway to a room only he had a key for, Lex dismissed a maid dusting a frame of a Dali painting and unlocked the door.

He smiled.

The room housed Lex's new obsession; it wasn't sex, for he had other rooms for that. It wasn't money, for money he had, and like the sex, he had it in vast quanities. Lex went down the steps in the specially constructed room. Each step triggered a spotlight in the ceiling to shine on huge hanging pictures of a young teen. The teen was Clark Kent.

The pictures were blow-ups of the Smallville Ledger's story on Lex's accident, in which Clark saved him. Lex's Porsche had hit a roll of metal coil dropped by a flat bed truck in the opposite lane on a bridge over calm waters. Lex hit the coil, the tires blew out and he lost control and the car ...

Lex remembered seeing a tall boy looking at him just when the car hit slammed into the boy, and crashing through the railing and into the water below. The impact of hitting the water knocked out Lex.

Lex woke sputtering, water in his lungs.

He opened his eyes from the blackness that enveloped him, looked up, and a figure shone in the sun.

Clark Kent.

"I could have sworn I hit you," Lex whispered.

"If you did, I'd be...I'd be dead," Clark said, an uneasy look on his youthful face.

But Lex KNEW he hit the boy. However, he didn't press Clark despite seeing through the boy's lie. He was grateful. The next day, however, Lex began looking into the car crash and Clark's role in it. During Lex's investigation, Clark's name started popping up in odd circumstances in Smallville's weird going-ons. Odd bedfellows, Lex thought...or were there simularities between them?

While Lex moved across the room, lights hit more hanging frames. A picture of Clark at the crash site. Another picture of a Ledger story about Clark's role in stopping Greg Arkin, who somehow had insect-like abilities and stalked Lana Lang. Lex looked around; more blow-ups of Clark saving Chloe Sullivan from a fire at school; more steps, more pictures of Clark, his house, his parents, his friends were lit up. Several months into their friendship, Lex still couldn't get past Clark's amazing secracy, secracy on how Clark was seemingly at the right pace at the right time, and how he was able to defeat the weirdly-powered freaks.

Lex wanted to know the how and the why, Clark was able to do the things he did. To Lex, his friend Clark was also an _asset_ to have on his side. But, he saw Clark as a rogue asset...and if Lex could not befriend him enough to get the information he wanted on him, he'd see Clark as a threat. A threat, because nothing in Lex's life was unknown.

A tall blonde looked up from the lucite desk she sat at typing on a laptop computer. Removing her wire-rimmed glasses, she stood and walked around the desk. The woman was several inches taller than Lex, and had a volumptous shape to her body. She wore a slate grey business dress and blazer, and her hair in a braided ponytail.

"_Guter Nachmittag, Sir_," Miss Tess Macher, the teutonic blonde said, the sound of her voice silky, the language german. She was head of Lex's security, and now his lead investigator in all things Clark Kent.

"_Guter Nachmittag, Tess_," Lex answer with a smile. "_Genießen Sie Ihr Frühstück_?

"_Ja Sir_," Tess smiled. She enjoyed it. "_Die Mahlzeit war ziemlich köstlich_."

"_Was haben Sie erhalten, um mich zu zeigen_?" Lex asked and looked at the two widescreen plasma monitors, each connected to computer towers. Tess nodded and went to them and turned on the monitors. She grabbed a keyboard and typed in a program and the monitors came alive.

"_Ich habe dieses verursacht, Sir_," Tess said and started the program. Lex watched one monitor. An animated presentation began, showing a scenario of that fateful day of the car wreck. Lex followed a 3-D model of his Porsche move along the bridge, and spin out of control. A red Clark figure jumped out of way, the car went through the bridge railing and into water. Lex chuckled when he saw the red Clark dive in after the car.

"That didn't happen at all," he whispered.

"_Die Animation bezieht nicht mit der strukturellen Beschädigung des Autos aufeinander_," Tess said. Lex nodded in agreement.

"_Fangen Sie das folgende Drehbuch, Tess an_," Lex said and Tess pressed the 'enter' key again.

Lex watched the next animated scenario. The car spun out of control again, but this time, the car barrelled into the red Clark figure, knocking him onto the hood and into the windshield. The Porsche went thru the railing and into the water. Lex stared watching the red Clark pulled him out of the water.

**_"Wieder!" _**Lex yelled, and Tess jumped. She replayed the image. Lex watched it again. The memory of the day became clearer, more focused: Lex saw the look of surprise on Clark's face when the car hit him. The scream Lex shrieked just when Clark's body shattered the bullet-proof glass; the water was what did the damage, the insurance and car specialists contended. 'No,' Lerx thought. He hit him. He watched the animation, cementing that memory, cementing the truth.

"Why are you lying, Clark?" Lex whispered.

"_Dieses Drehbuch bezieht vollständig mit der Strukturbeschädigung des Autos aufeinander_," Tess said with a surprised tone. "_Egal was I, das_," Tess said, reaching for her lime green clip board, "_den Daten eingegeben wird immer, zu dieser Zusammenfassung... kommt, schlug.you ihn_." She walked to a hanging frame and looked at the freshman ID card picture of Clark. " _Er hat eine Menge Erklären, zum zu tun_."

"_Ich stimme zu_," Lex said and walked to the back of the room. A giant floodlight showered the wreaked Porsche. It had been Lex's favorite. Now it was his personal ground zero. He looked at what appeared to be long dent on the hood. He figured it was made by Clark's body.

"_Dieses ist ungewöhnlich_," Tess said and pointed.

"_Ja... ja ist es_," Lex agreed, looking at the hand-sized indentation on torn roofing of the Porsche. "_Wie erklärten die Fachleute den_?"

"_Sie nicht_," Tess said with a bemused chuckle. "_Niemand, die das Porsche betrachtet hat, können es erklären_."

"_Irgendwelche Nachrichten über Clark seit gestern Abend_?" Lex asked and spun on his thousand dollar loafers.

"_Schule früh gelassen aus_," Tess said and followed Lex. "_Noch compilying Daten bezüglich seines Datums, Fräulein Chloe Sullivan_."

"_Setzen Sie die Untersuchungen auf beiden, Tess fort_," Lex said, the lights turning off with each step. "_Fräulein Sullivan ist zum Verstehen von von Clark Schlüssel_."

"_Ja Sir_," Tess said with a wicked grin.

"_Und Tess...setzen Uhr auf Peter Ross fort_," Lex added, turned and looked at Tess.

"_Selbstverständlich Sir_," Tess whispered and gave a bright toothed smile. "_Ich finde alles, das Sie benötigen_, Sir heraus."  
"_Ich weiß, Sie, Tess, ich wissen werden, daß Sie werden_," Lex said. He leaned in, kissed her, patted her rump and left her. He went from the dark into the light see his friend, Clark.

_An hour later...  
_

Up in the air. It was not a bird. Nor a plane. It was Lex Luthor's Sikorsky S-76C+ Executive Transport heliocopter, "_The Bald Eagle _", that whisked downwind at its top flight speed of 170 mph towards Metropolis from Smallville. The black heliocopter rose and dipped and Clark Kent did not enjoy his first flight at _ALL_.

"Do you think you can get the pilot to fly smoother?" Clark asked to Lex. He closed his eyes. Lex chuckled, looking at Clark press himself against his seat, legs spread, hands gripping the cushions. Lex thought it was the first time he ever saw Clark look nervous, scared. It was a welcome sight. Pete was looking out the window, enjoying the view, watching the rural countryside become more urban.

"My pilot Jake is an ex-Green Beret, Clark," Lex said somewhat loudly. The blades of the heliocopter whup-whup-whuped none too quietly. "He's been in the family for years."

"Jeeze, man," Pete said, looking at his petrified friend. "Open your eyes, Clark. The view is amazing!"

"Clark." Lex unclasped his seat belt and swung over to his friend's side. "My father gave the one piece of advice I actually listened to while in a 'copter." Clark opened one eye and looked at Lex. Pete watched him, wishing he could tell Clark something more useful than what he had said. He, too, listened to Lex.

"He said, 'You have a destiny, Lex. You're never going to get anywhere with your eyes closed.' and I did," Lex yelled into his friend's ear. He didn't have to; Clark could hear the pilot's heart beat. "I think you need to follow the same advice Clark."

Clark turned to his friend and opened up both eyes.

"You're lucky his mom was cool about letting him go, Lex," Pete said loudly and leaned in. He wished he had a 'copter so he and Clark could cruise the skies in. "His dad didn't...how'd you get past him?"

"I simply said to him we were going to buy a shirt," Lex said. The truth was easy to say.

"Didn't you say we were going to Metropolis?" Clark asked. Lex shook his head.

"Oh man!" Pete exclaimed.

"Really? You didn't say that?" Clark was shocked that Lex would decieve his parents. He stared at him, both eyes taking Lex in.

"I may have omitted our destination," Lex admitted. "But they really shouldn't worry...you're with an adult."

"It's the principle, Lex," Clark said. He ran his fingers through his hair worriedly. He looked at Pete, and Pete shook his head, lips tight. "Maybe we should..." Lex stuck up one finger to pause Clark; his cell phone vibrated in its holster on his hip. He swung back to his seat and took the call.

"He might be your new friend...but your old one is here to watch your back," Pete said, sliding next to Clark. His friend smiled.

"Slight change of plans," Lex told Clark, reholstering the phone. "That was my old dear friend, Victoria Hardwick, the woman I was telling you about last night, Clark. She's flying into Metropolis International from London early. She wants join us..."

Clark nodded. He was going to Metropolis for certain now.

The Sikorsky gently stopped on the landing pad atop the 69 story tall LuthorCorp Tower in downtown Metropolis. Lex gave Jake instructions to pick up Victoria at Met-Int Airport after he told the boys to head to Lionel's rooftop restaurant, '_The Lion's Mane _'.

"This totally rocks!" Pete said, looking at the skyline. The tower was easily the tallest building in Kansas, and one of the tallest in the country. At night, a spotlight atop the restaurant would shine straight up to the stars, a beacon for all the Midwest.

"I'm just glad we're on land now," Clark said, held onto the guardrails and slowly followed Pete down away from the pad.

"C'mon, Bro," Pete nudged Clark in the ribs. "It wasn't all that bad, was it?"

"Sorta," Clark said and smiled. "I now relish being ground bound. I think I'll just walk where I need to go."

"Yeah right," Pete said, laughing. "If Chloe's butt is in trouble, you'll totally kick on the afterburners and jet to her."

"It just happens that I can run fast," Clark said quickly, defensively, wondering if Pete saw him using his powers.

"I know, man," Pete said. "All the other times, you totally lag… a complete slow-poke."

"Oh," Clark said, relieved. He wished he could just let his best friend of nine years in on his secret, to confide in him like Pete had confided in him; all the secrets and discoveries that they did share was tainted in Clark's mind since he kept his secret and didn't make their friendship complete.

"Welcome to _My_ Metropolis," Lex said with a cheshire grin, catching up with them. "When you two are older, I'll take you to the clubs."

"What kind of clubs?" Pete asked. Lex winked at him just to perturb him. "There's going to be girls there, right?"

"Gorgeous girls and beautiful boys," Lex said simply. "We'll fit right in."

Pete didn't know to be happy that Lex thought he was a 'beautful boy' or not, but Clark just laughed. Lex guided them inside the restaurant and they sat.

"Victoria will be here in about 20 minutes," Lex informed them. "So Clark...a little first date jitters?"

"A little...," Clark confessed and smiled when a waitress brought their group tall glasses of imported water and a platter of hors d'oeuvres. Pete looked at the tray hungrily.

"Eat up," Lex chuckled. Pete devoured 3 succulent spears of asparagus wrapped in procuitto covered in melted parmesan cheese. Lex and Clark sat back to talk.

"I mean, I want it to be a night she won't forget," Clark continued his train of thought.

"That's admirable, Clark," Lex said. "I'm sure you will give her that wonderful night."

"It's not like you don't have enough 'practice'," Pete said between bites of a delectable canapé. Lex nodded and Clark smiled sheepishly. "Where were you two last Satyrday? All day and night?"

"The Talon. There was an Audrey Hepburn film festival that Chloe wanted to go to, but didn't have enough for a ticket. It was my treat," Clark said with a smile at the memory of learning about Chloe's fascination with Audrey Hepburn's work. He didn't know what was better: witnessing Chloe munching through bucket after bucket of popcorn (with extra real butter), 6 boxes of Milk Duds, 10 Clark bars and sipping from the one straw in the 5 large sodas that they shared or watching 'Roman Holiday', 'Sabrina', and 'Breakfast At Tiffany's'.

He addressed his notes to Chloe all week 'Chloe Golightly' and Chloe sent her notes to 'Capote Kent'. Students in class that passed the notes around thought it was one of their 'games', the kind that couples played.

"Sounds like a date," Pete said between swallows.

"I concur," Lex said.

"She just mentioned the festival casually," Clark weakly protested, and wondered why. "I told her I got extra in my allowance and it would be great to..."

"Take her out?" Lex smiled.

"Go with her," Clark finished. Pete laughed.

"It seems from that and all the evidence that you have shared with Me, Clark," Lex offered, "you and Chloe have been going out regularly since that kiss."

"KISS?" Pete yelled, spitting out the crepe. "WHAT KISS?" Lex smiled, and mentally notched another tally in his favor over Peter.

"Umm...Chloe kissed Me," Clark said slowly. He hadn't told Pete...yet. "It happened the first day of school last year. She wanted to see our farm. I showed her around and she sorta kissed me in the barn."

"You said it was your first kiss, Clark," Lex reminded, mindful of Peter's reaction. He liked watching Peter's slow burn. "You said it was...and I quote...'The Best Feeling Ever'...unquote."

"Cool," Pete said dully, looking at Lex's smug smile and Clark's ashamed face. "So why the long wait in actually asking her out, _Clark_?"

_Clark_. Said crisply and curtly. Like Pete had spit something foul.

Clark slumped a bit, caught between his two friends that hated each other, Pete and Lex, talking about a girl, Chloe, that knew about him more than they did. Suddenly, his life was totally stressful, and if he could sweat and not just condensate, he'd be a sweating mess. "Umm...I wasn't ready for a 'more-than-friends relationship."

"I can commiserate," Lex said, patting Clark's back. He saw the boy's anguish and deftly switched gears; It was Peter he wanted to decimate, not Clark. "The hardest thing in the world is telling the girl you love that you like her."

"Chloe knows that, Alex" Pete jumped in. 'Why was Clark telling Lex all this?' He thought. 'He's supposed to be telling _ME_.'

"Well...," Lex said smoothly, wishing a chunk of tender salmon would get trapped in Peter's larynx, "now it's up to Clark to tell her he loves her...if he does, that is."

"I do!" Clark exclaimed. A rosy blush flared on his skin.

"Tell her tonight then," Lex said and sipped on some water; he'd rather have a scotch and water, but he was playing the responsible adult. He looked out the window and spied his 'copter. "She's here. Let's go and greet Victoria."

"Hey," Pete tugged Clark's flannel and they dropped back away from Lex. "Thanks for the heads up on "the kiss", Bro."

"I ...I should have told you," Clark stammered.

"Yeah, man," Pete said. He was bummed out and the food, although savory, felt like brick in his stomach now. "You got to see my first kiss."

Pete kissed Felice Chandler at his own 11th birthday party, Clark thought back. Everyone was gathered in the basement and all the young party-goers played 'Spin the Bottle' and Pete's spin aimed at Felice. They kissed for 25 seconds straight. The next turn's was Clark's and he spun the bottle and his target was Lana Lang. He blushed and she giggled. He moved in for the kiss, and immediately spazzed out, thanks to his weakness to the meteorite nugget on her necklace. Somehow he managed to grab the table cloth and yanked it while he collapsed, sending red punch all over Lana's new white party dress. Nell picked her up in tears shortly thereafter. Clark ran home and missed out on the birthday cake.

"Sorry," Clark whispered.

"You better be, punk," Pete said with a smile. "And you better call me TONIGHT with graphic details about the kiss!"

They laughed, Pete silently forgiving his friend, and they joined the awaiting Lex on the landing pad.

"Lex!" London-born Victoria Hardwick shouted out when the pilot opened the passenger door on the Sikorsky. Lex and the boys followed her every step and with good reason: Victoria was gorgeous; tall and curvaceous, her brunette locks fluttered while she glided across the landing pad. She wore a crisp, white button up blouse, gray and white plaid micro mini-skirt, a black pocket-less leather jacket and matching knee high boots. Her sunglasses were cats'-eyed shaped. She ran and bounced the final few steps into Lex's embrace and they kissed passionately.

"Boobs," Pete whispered in reference to Victoria's more than ample breasts.

"McChesty," Clark agreed in hushed tones.

"Who is this dashing young man and his dishy friend, Lex?" Victoria said, pulling away from Lex and smiling at Clark and Pete.

"This is Clark Kent and his friend, Peter Ross," Lex introduced.

"Best friend," Pete chimed in and he and Lex quickly looked at each other through squinty eyes.

"HE's Clark?" Victoria said, shocked at the sight of the tall muscular young man. She shot a look at Lex. "You said a boy saved you! This..." Victoria said, pointed and smiled at Clark, "is certainly not a boy! I'm totally goobsmacked!"

Clark blushed; before, only Chloe had gushed over him. Lex saw the teen's reaction and decided to have some fun. He leaned in and whispered in Victoria's ear. She grinned wickedly.

"Lexy says your Mum and Old Man made you give back his gifty of the lorry," Victoria said and slinked towards Clark. "So...I will present you with one for saving his bacon."

Victoria slid up to Clark and before he could react, hugged him tightly, pressing her body against his. She was surprised; He was far more muscular and toned than Lex. She held tight when Clark tried to break off the hug. Victoria had held many a man in her arms, on many a continent, and Clark felt really good.

"A cuddle," She whispered and tilted up her head, "and kiss for this cheeky miss." She kissed each cheek. Suddenly, her lips were on Clark's. She was kissing hard, enjoying the snog. Clark went wide-eyed, looked over at Lex and raised his arms into the air with surprise. Lex's smirky grin dropped; the peck on the cheeks was part of the plan, not the full-out smacker that Victoria was giving Clark. Pete loved it; not so much watching the Brit mack on his friend, but watching _Lex's girlie_ mack on his friend.

"Clark is taken, Victoria dear," Lex reminded loudly. "And so are you."

Victoria pulled away from Clark wit some effort and smacked her lips together; they tingled in a way they never had after a kiss before. She looked at Clark with a glazed look in her eyes. "That was smashing," she whispered, wanting more. But she turned to Lex dreamily. "I feel a bit knackered."

"You can rest up while we shop," Lex said firmly. He was not too pleased with her antics. He walked over to Jake and told him to take Victoria's luggage and trunks to the mansion and to return promptly. Victoria loved how the breeze atop the tower chilled the heat emitting from her. Clark looked at Pete and walked to him.

"I won't tell, big guy," Pete promised in a whisper to Clark. The thought of telling Chloe what he saw never popped in his head.

"Thanks Pete," Clark said and thought Chloe was a much better kisser.

"I believe we have some shopping to do," Lex said after he finished a call to a fashionable boutique. He escorted them into the tower, into an elevator and pressed the button indicating the first floor. He smiled at his group.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter Fifteen**  
_

**_Interlude Begins..._**

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer," Lionel Luthor whispered enigmatically with a smile on his face, too, watching the group via security cam installed in his desk. He was always alerted when his son Lex was in Metropolis, and especially in the building. He knew why he was with that Hardwick girl and he'd have to tell him again HOW she created corporate mergers. It certainly wasn't for her business acumen.

But...it was the tall boy that interested him. Looking through Lex's corporate expenses, he found many a trail leading to a certain Clark Kent. Because Lex was looking into the person that saved him, an amused Lionel began a simple circuitous investigation. When the primary reports came in, Lionel was amazed: after Clark saved Lex, he began a heroic streak that belied his age. He saved a classmate, a young girl named Chloe Sullivan twice, another classmate, Lana Lang, and others in the town stuck in a cornfield, Smallville.

"Smallville," Lionel said softly and tapped the hairs of his well-groomed beard covering his chin. "I wonder..." He leaned back in his comfortable leather chair and thought back to the day he was in that tiny little quiet town buying a creamed corn plant the meteors slammed into it. Now, more often than not on Wednesdays for some odd reason, a new crisis seemed to pop up, all involving some weirdly ...powered human beings. And each time, they were summarily squashed by Clark...with help from that Sullivan girl.

Lionel rose from his chair and walked to a Van Gogh that hung on the wall. He pulled on the frame and typed in a sequence of numbers in the safe built into the wall. After opening the safe's door, He pulled out a dossier labeled in red '**Chloe/Clark (Chlark): Eyes Only**'. He pulled from the folder pictures of the teens coming out of a theater laughing, emerging from the local library together, pictures of them walking around town enjoying each other's company. Reports indicated Kent and Sullivan spending quite a bit of time together. He looked at their school transcripts. 'Each subject is very smart and on the school's paper,' Lionel thought. 'Both looking for truth, justice, and for the facts,' Lionel wondered. 'Add in their investigative skills and courageousness, I foresee great things for them. Or horrific ends.'

He pulled out another paper and read how their families differed: The Kents were simple farmers and Sullivan's father..."Well, hello," Lionel smiled, reading that Gabe Sullivan worked for him at the Luthor Corp Fertilizer Plant No. 3. And Lionel read that the Kent's land produced organic fruits and vegetables; no toxins used on that farm. 'The ecology is the lifeblood to a farmer,' Lionel thought with a grin. 'Without a suitable environment...'

The intercom buzzed

"Mr. Luthor," Lee Holloway, the Secretary, said smoothly, "Your 2:15 meeting is here. Shall I send...him in?"

Smiling, Lionel placed everything back into the vault. "Yes, Lee. You may."

Outside, Lee nodded to the person waiting and purposely misspelled a word she typed; she could not wait to see Lionel's red ink corrections on the paper. Or the punishment for the misspell.

Lionel was behind his desk when his appointment entered his office. 'The term 'Mad Scientist' must have been created especially for this man,' Lionel thought. A five foot one, thin, bald, wizened old man in a white buckled lab-smock and pants, huge black boots, and absurdly thick glasses stomped to his desk.

"Dr. T.B. Sivana...How wonderful to finally meet such genius," Lionel said with perfect insincerity.

"I was nearing... thrilling scientific breakthroughs ...in My work," The little man said in raspy staccato bursts and drew closer to the desk. Lionel's finger was on the panic button, ready. "I was close... to accomplishing ...several goals. And you call me in... to tell me... that I am a genius? I KNOW THAT, LUTHOR! _Get... To... The... Point._"

"So brusque, so ...angry," Lionel said with a smile that hid his anger; no one before spoke to the Lion like that in his den.

"Don't forget to add 'so very dangerous'," Sivana said. "Talk, Luthor."

"I just acquired Cadmus-Katheryn NeoPharmecuticals. You know how they are becoming leaders in the field of bio-genetics," Lionel informed.

"Yes yes yes," Sivana said. He seemed to perpetually move, think, plan ahead. "Speak more."

"I want you to you to conduct your...experiments for me, using CKNP's labs and equipment," Luthor proposed.

"I see," Sivana said and actually stopped moving. His radical experiments were always done on the run, never conducted the same place for more than two weeks at a time. The idea intrigued him. "Build a lab in Fawcett City?"

"Alpha phase, yes," Lionel said; Fawcett City was to Sivana much like Metropolis was to Lionel. 'Except don't have to hide,' Lionel thought. "You will be safe and secure."  
"Alpha?" Sivana looked at Luthor.

"Then the Omega phase ends in Smallville," Lionel finished. He explained his theories and they genuinely excited Sivana. "So, are we in agreement?"

"Yes," Sivana said. "I will cultivate the worms in Fawcett City. Then bring them to Smallville to flourish."

"I will fund everything," Lionel said. "But our names will not be involved and I will disavow any knowledge of you."

"Of course," Sivana nodded. "And you will clear any and all obstacles in our path? I seem to have acquired a rather _marvelous_ nemesis..."

"Haven't we all, Sivana?" Lionel asked. He looked at his monitor and saw Lex, Clark, and the rest finally walk onto the first floor of the tower. "Haven't we all?"

They shook hands and Lionel was surprised at the old man's strong grip, even though he didn't wince. Sivana left, back to Fawcett city, back to his beloved city, back to own bio-chemical war zone.

"No obstacles and no threats," Lionel whispered. "That means gathering intelligence to remove barriers." He pressed a single button on his cell-phone. "_Guten Tag, Fräulein Macher_..."

**_Interlude Ends..._**


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter Sixteen **  
_

The Acropolis of Metropolis was an exclusive shopping center that catered to the wealthy and affluent of the city. Ultramodern on the inside, The Acropolis had a classical Greek feel on the outside; it was truly an architectural masterpiece, four different levels of shops and boutiques, restaurants and entertainment.

"Ever been here before?" Lex asked Clark, who looked awestruck entering the Acropolis.

"I read about this place," Clark said. "Pictures in a magazine that Chloe showed me was as close as I got."

"Same here," Pete chimed in.

The teens gazed at the sheer electric mix of the stores and wares. Lex smiled and wished he had that wonder in his eyes, not the jaded feel in his heart.

"I love this place," Victoria. "It's like Harrods all wired up." The teens looked at each other and laughed; they loved listening to Victoria's Brit-speak. Victoria smiled at them.

"First stop...in here," Lex said and the group ventured into an elegant men's clothiers, 'Strayhorne's'; Lex felt at home, Clark was totally out of place, and Pete decided he wanted to wear everything in the store. Victoria smiled at an employee that brought her a bottle of water, an exclusive brand, of course. The owner of the store instantly recognized Lex and hurried over. Lex whispered to him. The owner politely escorted out several possible customers and closed the shop. Lex had the store to himself and his friends. Clark and Pete were impressed, while Victoria asked the employee for a small green salad. The employee scurried to comply.

"Clark," Lex smiled. "Allow me to get you a suit."

"Umm," Clark mumbled, looking at Lex strangely. "Isn't that way too dressy for a carnival, Lex?"

"Indulge me for once, Clark," Lex simply.

"But, I don't have a reason to get a suit," Clark protested.

"Clark," Lex said and gave him a sad little look. Clark liked Lex, but there were times when Lex was a bit too insistent with his demands and it weirded him out: "I just got a new hot tub. You absolutely need to hit it with me", "You really need to see 'Gladiator' with me", "See Chloe tomorrow night, come see Elton John in Metropolis with me". Clark felt that Lex didn't need to spend money to be his friend.

"You'd look utterly mega all rigged up," Victoria chimed in. She wanted to see Clark in a well tailored suit.

"Do you have a suit, Clark?" Lex asked, trying a new gambit.

"No," Clark said, caught in a corner.

"There's your reason," Lex said.

"Victoria," Lex said, looking at her.

"Every man should have a suit, Clarkie," She said, sipping at her water. "Do you have one, Peter?"

"Several," Pete answered, chagrined that he was helping Lex.

"A dashing chap like you would have several," Victoria said saucily. "And prolly a bird draped on each arm."

"Thank you," Pete said and giggled like a Catholic schoolgirl. Lex and Clark exchanged bemused smiles.

"Well ok...," Clark agreed, defeated by Lex's reasoning. "Go ahead and pick out the styles."

"What's your sizes, Clark?" Lex asked.

"Extra-large shirts and flannels," Clark said and the store owner grinned. "Jeans...34 waist."

"Clark, we have to get accurate measurements for the suit," Lex informed. "Not just 'off-the-rack' sizes."

"Oh," Clark said and felt dumb. "I don't know them."

"It's ok, Clark," Lex said and patted him on the back. The owner told an employee to get the tailor. She left and returned with an attractive female, Tonya, who carried a tape measure. Victoria felt envious. Lex ordered water with his salad and sat by Victoria and Peter. They watched Tonya measure along Clark's long extremities.

"46 inch shoulder span," She called out and another girl wrote it down. "40 inch chest...34 inch waist." Tonya smiled, placing her thumb and tape on his ankle and slid the tape up his leg. Clark's eyes went wide when she snaked her hand up into his denim crotch. Both Victoria and Lex laughed at that. Pete thought Clark was lucky.

"Do you lean to the left or the right?" Tonya asked.

"Huh?" Clark checked in the full length mirror to see if he was leaning.

"No Clark," Lex laughed. "The left...or the right?"

Clark still didn't understand. Tonya didn't mind; she didn't move her hands. Pete jumped up and whispered in Clark's ear, explaining what Tonya and Lex meant. Clark looked down at Tonya and she winked.

"Umm," Clark mumbled blushing red. "Down I guess."

"What?" Lex said. Tonya grinned. Victoria nodded.

"What do you mean, 'just down'"? Lex demanded. Tonya rose from her knees.

"I'm going to look at the cufflinks," Clark said. He and the store owner went to the counter housing the cufflinks. Lex looked at Peter.

"Clark's a modest guy," Pete said to the confused face on Lex. "But let's just say the MAN needs _room_."

"Oh yes," Victoria said with a knowing smile. "I'd agree."

Lex gasped. He looked over at Victoria.

"Just. Down," She reiterated. Lex looked over at Clark talking to the store owner. Lex shook his head with a laugh and selected the suit for Clark: a 3 button black silk suit with flat front trousers by Canali ($1495), a cotton indigo shirt from DieselStyleLabs ($180) and a black silk tie by Thomas W ($100). Tonya nodded to Lex and did the alterations to the suit.

"The cufflinks are sorta pricey," Clark informed Lex. Lex rolled his eyes.

"So?" Lex rolled his eyes. "Just select what you want."

"These, then," Clark said and showed Lex his choice.

"Very stylish, Clark," Lex said, holding the Jan Leslie cufflinks ($65). "Add this to the invoice, and send the suit to the mansion." The store owner nodded. Clark tried on shoes and loved the comfort of the Solinyire calfskin footwear ($625). Lex didn't blink at the price.

Tonya returned with the suit and Clark tried it on. He emerged from the dressing room to the smiles of Lex, Victoria and Pete. He went back in front of the mirror. Lex stood beside him smiling.

"You two look rather tasty," Victoria said, sliding between them, nudging into Clark. Lex's smile became tight-lipped... "That suit seems to just pour onto you."

"I have to admit," Pete said, sipping his own water, "You do look great in a suit, Bro."

"Thanks Pete," Clark said with a huge smile, "and thank you, Lex."

"You're welcome, Clark," Lex answered and deftly positioned himself between Clark and Victoria. "Now, let's get your clothes for your date."

"Ok...," Clark said, lost in the moment of getting a new suit. He turned to face his friends "Can you and Pete give me some advice...do's and don'ts?"

"Of course," Lex said.

"Sure, Bro," Pete smiled.

"And I shall be the voice of reason," Victoria countered. They looked at her. "Really now...Who better to advise than the one with the breasts?" She said and jutted out her chest. The guys nodded.

"This is Clark's first date, dear," Lex informed.

"No...," Victoria looked at Clark. "Really?"

"Yes," Clark said. He wondered why everyone was so surprised with that fact.

"I'd think the girls would be all over you like liquid latex," She said. They wandered through the shop, looking for a shirt first. Clark shook his head at several choices Lex and Victoria picked out. He looked aghast at the green one Lex proffered. They showed rayon shirts...silk shirts...one made of hemp, but they were too flashy for Clark's tastes.

"Wear a black shirt, Clarkie," Victoria said.

"Chloe loves seeing him in blue, Victoria," Pete said and handed Clark a tee.

"I'll take it," Clark said with a smile. It was a simple blue cotton tee by D & G Dolce and Gabbana tee ($140).

"Your bird Chloe," Victoria asked, taking the shirt, "describe her for me, Clarkie."

"She's smart," Clark said with a smile, looking for pants with the guys. Quickly, another word popped in his head. "Strong."

"Strong?" Victoria asked perplexed. "She's brawny?"

"No," Clark said with a chuckle. "Chloe is 5 foot 5 inches, 110 pounds of pure petiteness. She has strength in her beliefs. Unwavering."

"Continue, Clark." Victoria smiled, impressed with Clark. She dropped the 'ie' to his name because she was talking to man, not a boy. He looked through some jeans, shaking his head and giving Lex a strange look when Lex showed him leather pants.

"She's snarky," Clark said and made a face at a pair of pants with fringes Pete waved.

"Snarky?" Victoria looked at Lex.

"Smart-alec," Lex said.

"Sassy," Pete explained.

"Oh, your bird has an attitude?" Victoria deduced.

"No," Clark corrected. "Well, not a bad one. She just keeps me on my toes."

"She keeps you in line, Bro," Pete said with a chuckle.

"Don't tell her I agreed," Clark laughed. "And she's sexy." Clark's words were a mere whisper.

"Come again?" Victoria said with a smile. "Please?"

"Louder," Pete said with a huge grin.

"You can tell us the secret, Clark," Lex said with a bit of a bite to his words. He and Clark locked eyes and stared for a few seconds. "Always," Lex finished.

"She's sexy, ok?" Clark said and blushed mightily.

"Aww," Victoria whispered. "You really love her, don't you?"

"Yes." Clark smiled. It was easy to say it. But he knew he needed to say to Chloe, not his friends. "Any advice for tonight?"

"Well, you learned the best way to say hallo is with a hug," Victoria said with a smirk, "and a kiss."

"Yeah," Clark said. "Anything else?"

"You have to be self-confident… don't whine… be masculine, but show your feelings..." Victoria thought aloud. Clark nodded. "Heroics are incredibly masculine."

"Clark has the hero part down stone cold," Pete said and slapped his friend's back.

"Be full of honor, full of integrity and never be cruel," Lex advised with an odd smile. Clark nodded again and grabbed a cool looking pair of whiskered indigo Diesel RR55s jeans ($175). Victoria handed him the shirt and wanted to help Clark in the dressing room. He came out wearing the new one.

"Tip Top!" Victoria announced. Clark looked utterly sexy. He smiled and went into the dressing room. "Let's finish that outfit, you sessy man, " Victoria said to Clark. He changed back into his old clothes.

When Clark came out of the stall, Victoria took the new clothing, wishing she was taking other things from Clark. Lex was surprised that she was acting like a common servant for Clark, but he guessed the way Clark described Chloe, Chloe would be even a more devoted handmaiden to her date. Clark and the group wandered around the store and Clark picked out a dark denim jacket by ck Calvin Klein Jeans ($125). "Put your arm on her shoulder… show how you want to be around her...but wait for her to touch first," He said to the teen.

"Chloe's always finding ways to touch Clark," Pete said. "Sometimes I think she gets a rush out of being saved...so you can hug her when you save her."

"Any actual advice, Pete?" Clark smiled.

"Saving her life is good advice," Pete snickered while Clark selected the black leather Reaction Kenneth Cole "Big Wig" boots ($124).

"You need a timepiece, Clark dear," Victoria pointed. "It would be bloody awful to be late for a date, and believe me, a girl won't have it with you if you're bloody late all the time." Clark didn't know Victoria was talking about sex, but he let her pick out an Oris Big Crown BC3 watch, metal bracelet with an onyx face ($595).

"Don't let her pay for anything tonight," Lex said. "You're both used to splitting things yes?" Clark nodded. "Now," Lex continued, "you take the lead. She will pretend that she will pay...but she wants you to pay."

"I just have a $20 dollar bill," Clark said with some embarrassment. Lex smiled and looked at Victoria.

"Can you impart more wisdom on Clark?" Lex asked. "I need to talk to the owner."

"Certainly," Victoria said and moved close to Clark when Lex walked away. "That's good advice and all, but here are some things a man should know about women." She took Clark's hand and led him to the bench that she sat on earlier. Victoria snuggled between by him. Pete tagged along and stood on the side, like always.

"Listen up chaps. I may get sacked from the Girl's Club for telling you this but...," Victoria lead on, getting the teens' attention, "here are some first date no-no's."

"Ok," Clark said.

"First...well...usually it's don't overdress," Victoria giggled and patted Clark's thigh, "but the second is don't under-dress, so it evens out." Clark smiled, but noticed her hand didn't move. "Don't show up too early or too late. That's Bollocks if you do." Clark nodded. "Don't talk too much about yourself...only if she asks."

"Good advice," Pete said.

"Here's some second date advice because I know you'll do well, tonight," Victoria said. "It's the same as date one, but don't think you'll get a shag outta Chloe."

"We're 15," Clark said with a shocked look.

"She's 15, Clark," Pete said, "You're just 14, the youngest one in our group."

"Oh yeah," Victoria forgot and looked sadly at the muscular teen, she told herself, teen. "Well...it was still some useful titbits."

"You're bountifully brimming with them," Lex said. "But, here in the states, it's translated to 'tidbits', dear."

Victoria laughed heartily. Clark and Pete tried not to watch the show on her chest, but only Clark failed; Pete appreciated the show and hoped for an encore.

"Let's finish the shopping spree, shall we?" Victoria asked Clark. Clark was embarrassed when Victoria watched him get red Calvin Klein boxer briefs ($22), not so embarrassed as he got new socks (white Hanes $8).

As Victoria and Clark shopped, Pete watched Lex slip away and get the 'CK' monogrammed silver money clip ($250) from the owner he earlier ordered and slide crisp new 20 dollar bills totaling $200 into the clip and put it in the pocket of the pants.

"Why are you being so nice? Dropping large cash?" Pete whispered to Lex when Lex motioned to whisper.

"This was the type of fun I never had at boarding school," Lex said, steadfast.

"The truth, Lex," Pete pressed.

"Clark gave Me the opportunity to live again, Peter," Lex whispered, watching Clark and Victoria peruse thru Men's undergarments, "to take advantage of my wealth rather than squander it...and I want to repay Clark for that."

"Can't you just be his friend," Pete wondered aloud. "Like he is to you?"

"I am learning how," Lex admitted. "For now...I intend to keep Clark as my friend the way I know how...through any means necessary."

Pete looked warily at Lex.

"Peter, the money equal to the price of the truck that Clark had to give back to Me... I've invested it for Clark." Peter's eyes went wide. "About $24,000 invested in LuthorCorp, in other stocks. But Clark can't touch it until he's 21. I will keep investing the same $24,000 amount each year in Clark's name without Clark's knowledge. Or his parent's."

"Why?" Pete said, shocked.

"Because," Lex said. "I can't do anything else."

Lex looked at Pete. And Pete just nodded.

"You need a scent, Clark," Victoria said simply. "The rugged outdoorsy scent is ok...but let's get some cologne."

"CK1" Pete smiled. "Chloe will love it!" Clark laughed.

"She'd be expecting that," Victoria said. "Try something new other than Old Spice."

They checked the store's supply and Clark liked the scent of Image by Cerruti ($75). The marketing slogan "I'm Flying" made him laugh. 'Like that will ever happen,' He thought.

"Done?" Lex asked.

"Yes," Clark said.

"And with good timing," Victoria said. "It's 4:30."

"Take Clark and Pete outside while I pay for these," Lex said.

"Don't want Me to freak out?" Clark asked.

"Yes, and you will not owe on this," Lex smiled. "Maybe just have Chloe come over when it's Pool Night, so she can distract you enough so I can win a damn game."

A beautiful nineteen year old girl named Kali totaled up the purchases:

_3 button black silk suit with flat front trousers by canali: $1495  
cotton indigo shirt by DieselStyleLabs:$180  
silk tie from Thomas Writer: $100  
Jan Leslie lucite with silver anhoring cuff links: $65   
Calfskin shoes by Solinire: $ 625  
dark denim jacket by ck Calvin Klein Jeans: $125  
blue D & G Dolce and Gabbana tee-shirt: $140  
indigo Diesel RR55s whiskered boot-cut jeans:$175  
black leather Reaction Kenneth Cole "Big Wig" boots: $124  
Oris Big Crown BC3 watch: $595  
red Calvin Klein boxer briefs: $22  
white Hanes sox: $8  
Image by Cerruti cologne: $75  
monogrammed silver money clip: $250  
spending cash: $200_

Lex's splurge total: $4215

The look on Chloe Sullivan's face when she liquefies her panties when she sees Clark in the sexy gear: **Priceless**


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter Seventeen **_

"Don't be such a frightened lil' lass!" Victoria admonished Clark with a giggle. The Sikorsky flight going back to Smallville was just as fun for Clark as it was to Metropolis. Clark gave her a weak smile and was quiet the whole flight. Lex and Victoria talked with Pete about differences between Metropolis and London.

The teens stood by Lex's black Mercedes-Benz S500 (license plate read: 1 LEX 1) when Lex ushered Victoria into the mansion. She kissed him and told him that she was going to get ready to go to the carnival. Lex returned to the teens with a small leather bag and drove within the posted speed limits to Pete Ross's house.

"Ok, Bro," Pete said from the back seat, patting Clark's shoulder when Lex pulled up to his house. Pete got out of the fine ride, shut the rear passenger door, and looked into the window. "I'll see you at the Carnival."

"'Aight," Clark said. "Say 'hi' to Momma."

"You knows it," Pete smiled; Mrs. Ross was Clark's mom like Mrs. Kent was to him. "Thanks, Lex," Pete said after he went around the Mercedes and stuck out his hand. Lex was totally caught off-guard. But he shook Pete's hand. Clark smiled; 'Maybe, there's hope,' he thought. Lex drove the short distance to Clark's house fast.

"Is this a new car?" Clark wondered and rubbed the leather dash. Lex had a veritable fleet of cars, and sometimes Lex allowed Clark to drive them; Clark didn't remember this particular car.

"Yes," Lex said, up shifted the gears out of a turn. "I didn't want to make Pete cram himself into the back like he did with the Boxster."

"What ever happened to the Carrera?" Clark asked and watched Lex turn the steering wheel, aiming the car onto the dirt path to Clark's house. The Carrera was the Porsche Lex wrecked. "Couldn't salvage it?" Clark wondered; secretly he wouldn't mind buying it from Lex and working on it until it ran again.

"It's gone," Lex said simply. He drove down the road fast, not caring about the little rocks pinging against the paintjob on the car. "Why keep it? It was junk, and nothing good could come from it." Lex gave Clark an odd smile, and Lex wondered if his words would be proven wrong.

"Oh," Clark said, a little crestfallen. Lex slowed the car down when he saw Clark's father, Jonathan, come out of the barn. Jonathan waved them over. "Clark, in the leather bag I brought along, there are some plastic bags from Fordman's. Put your clothes in them."

Clark did what Lex told him. Lex pulled the car next to Jonathan.

"Hi, Mr. Kent," Lex said. Clark hopped out of the car and winced when he saw his father's reaction to the bags and boxes that he had in his hands.

"Clark," Jonathan said, "when you are done putting away your 'shirt', help me with the tractor in the barn."

"Bye Lex," Clark said with an uneasy face and ran a little too fast for Jonathan's liking into the house.

"Mr. Kent," Lex said, smiling and taking off his sunglasses, "I hope you don't mind me buying Clark more than a shirt. Apparently, he says some of his clothes seem to be missing."

"What do I owe you for the extra clothing, Lex?" Jonathan said and took out his well-worn wallet.

"Nothing," Lex smiled; he doubted that Jonathan had the amount he spent in his bank account. "It's my way of helping Clark with the date."

"Seems an awful lot of help for a date," Jonathan said and slipped the wallet back in the back pocket. He rubbed his hands on his jeans.

"Clark wants tonight to be memorable for Chloe," Lex said, wondering if he was telling him information Clark hadn't yet, "and I want it to be for him."

"Thank you, Lex," Jonathan said.

"He has great friends in Chloe and Peter," Lex said, looking at the house. "He's friends with you and Mrs. Kent…" He turned to Jonathan. "In the first time in years, I can say I have a friend, someone nice to me with no ulterior motive, no agenda, and no nefarious plan. That friend is Clark."

Jonathan looked at Lex, and believed him.

"I have to see to my guest at the mansion," Lex said, turning the key in the ignition switch. The car's engine came alive. "Good bye, Mr. Kent."

Jonathan waved his good bye. When Lex was safely down the dirt path, he called out his son's name.

Inside his room, Clark smiled. He heard what Lex had said. He hoped that people would give Lex a break; he really wasn't a bad guy, just needed a friend. And he was glad that Lex considered him one. Clark noticed all the clothes he had left out earlier were gone; 'Moms probably put them away,' he thought. He heard Lex's car's engine fade in the distance, set the bags on his bed, and supersped back out to the barn. Martha Kent instituted her Mother's Prerogative to snoop in her boy's room; she wanted to see the shirt that Clark bought. She was surprised to see the bags and the boot box. She peeked in a bag.

"Wanted me, Dad?" Clark said when he appeared next to his father. Jonathan jumped a bit; his son looked normal (well, as normal as a 14 year old could be with a chiseled body), but the powers and abilities that were far beyond normal men that Clark possessed made Jonathan slightly envious.

"Yes, Son," He said and walked to the back of the barn. Clark followed dutifully. "Daisy broke down just over the rise," He said and pointed in the general direction of his beloved old tractor. "Do you think you could..."

Clark smiled. He zipped over and returned with the red John Deere 1946 Model B tractor held high above his head easily, like he would if his dad asked him to get mail from the mailbox. Jonathan opened the barn doors and Clark walked inside with the tractor. He set it down.

"Son," Jonathan said, working on the engine. "I worry that you may be swayed by Lex's gifts to let him know about your abilities."

"Dad," Clark said, leaning back on a wood rail, "you heard Lex. He has good intentions."

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions'," Jonathan said. He closed his eyes. It came out too bitterly. He heard his son's sigh.

"I wish I could tell Pete," Clark grumbled. "Or Chloe."

"Clark", Jonathan said, and held his son's muscular shoulder. "You need to wait."

"Wait? I am waiting," Clark quickly snapped. "I wait for Pete to bust out on me that I've been lying to him or Chloe to say 'I know your secret'."

"Son," Jonathan, turned and saw his son fuming. "Do you think they are ready to know?"

"Maybe not now," Clark said honestly. "Well, Chloe maybe. She might find out on her own." Jonathan nodded; Chloe was sharp, almost too sharp, much like Martha. He smiled. The apple didn't fall too far from the tree, no matter if it came from another planet. "I'd rather tell her," Clark said, looking into his father's eyes, "and not deceive her or Pete anymore. Living with my abilities and keeping them a secret is like you lifting that tractor."

"Impossible," Jonathan said.

"Exactly Dad," Clark said. "Add to that all the time Chloe and I spend together now..."

"You really like her, huh?" Jonathan asked, already knowing the answer. Clark's quick smile and head dip cemented it.

"A lot," Clark said. He looked up. "I think...I love her, Dad."

"I have an idea," Jonathan smiled to his love-struck son, "tell Chloe and Pete when you have a fuller grasp of your abilities."

"Thanks, Dad," Clark smiled.

"You better get going," Jonathan said kneeling by the engine again. "Don't wanna be late for your date." He saw his son disappear, heard a whoosh and laughed.

Martha was placing a tray of biscuits into the oven for dinner when she felt the whoosh whip through her kitchen. Clark had power-consumed the 4 sandwiches he made and washed it all down with milk he drank straight from the bottle; it was really his only vice. She made a face when she saw that the jars of peanut butter and jelly, bread, and the previously full-but-now nearly empty bottle of milk on the formerly clean countertop. She shook her head at her son's banzai sandwich making. She looked at the clock and realized he was in a hurry for a reason; the date was less than an hour away.

Clark stopped racing when he stepped into the bathroom. He yanked off his flannel, and pulled off his shirt, balled them up and tossed them into the hamper. Carefully leaning against the sink, Clark removed each boot and sock, flinging the socks in the hamper. 'He shoots, he scores', he thought and smiled. He unbuttoned his Levi's and slid them off, and his boxer briefs followed quickly.

Completely naked, Clark twisted the metal diverter on the faucet, turned on the cold water and watched the cold water spray from the showerhead. Clark stepped into the old fashioned tub and pulled the white plastic liner around so water wouldn't splash onto the tile.

The cold water hit his toned legs first and he stepped closer, the water nailing his defined abs and wide, muscled chest. Clark let the water cascade down his body, the coldness of it refreshing, invigorating. He moved under the spray, the water washing over his still boyish face, odd in comparison to his near-Adonis like body. He tilted his head side to side, letting the cold water soak his hair. With his body slick from the icy water, he grabbed his "No More Tears" brand shampoo (he liked the scent...it reminded him of Chloe somehow) and squirted some onto his palm. He set the bottle back and worked the shampoo into the incredibly strong hair fibers on his head.

Clark rinsed his hair, grabbed the wash rag and put some soft soap on it. With his back to the spray, he slowly washed his hands and arms, working the rag over his plump biceps, and into his armpits, the foamy lather white on the hairs there; aside from the sparse hairs in his pits and on his legs and full head of hair, Clark was essentially hairless. Pete told him maybe some aspects of puberty hit slower than others, not to worry.

After lathering his chest, each pectoral slab, Clark slid the rag onto the six pack that was his abdominals, rubbing, lathering. Clark tried not to think of Chloe when he washed lower. But, it didn't work. Shortly after Chloe moved to town, Clark's showers always included mental images of Chloe and always included a little physical ritual.

"Clark!" Martha yelled through the door. "You've been in there for a really long time now! Your father needs to use the bathroom!" Martha heard rythmic water splashing and shrugged at Jonathan. He ran outside to relieve himself. She tried a different tactic knowing her son was such a big slow-poke. "Your date is in 20 minutes! Come on! Move it!"

"OK Mom!" Clark groaned. "I'm coming!"

He finished up, and ended his shower. Using his superspeed, he dried his body, brushed his teeth and applied deodorant. He wrapped a towel around his waist and went into his bedroom. His mom sat on the bed with the clothes he laid out.

"You got more than a shirt," She said quietly, "and these are NOT from Fordman's."

"Mom... Lex...," Clark stammered. "Pete...We..."

"Honey," Martha smiled, "I know this is a big night for you."

"It's huge, Mom," Clark said, a bit more relaxed after he saw her smile.

"I'll make Lex some pies as a thank you, and I'll make sure your father doesn't find out you're wearing at least two months worth of the livestock food bill on your back tonight," She smiled sweetly.

"Thanks, Mom," Clark said. "You're the best."

"I know," she laughed. "And I'm happy that you take after me."

She left Clark to dress, and 2 seconds later, he was dressed and running to Chloe's house.


	18. Chapter 18

**_Chapter Eighteen_  
**

Chloe quickly picked off some undies from the top of her huge dresser, tossing them aside and showed Lana her make-up case. It was really her pencil and pen case. Lana opened it, pushed aside Chloe's bitten-up Bic pens and Ticondaroga pencils. She smiled when she finally saw Chloe's newish bottle of ox-blood polish, but that smile turned into a frown whe she got to the some of the cosmetics: a near-empty bottle of clear polish, four stix of eyeliner pencils, and a jar of concealer that now housed pencil shavings. 

"You actually spent money on that horrible 'Metropolis Girl' brand?" Lana asked, incredulously. 'Metropolis Girl' was highly promoted, but was of such inferior quality that it was scrapped within a year. "Is this 'Hello Kitty' lipsgloss?" Lana turned and held the black little container with the white kitten face and pink paws up with disgust. "Chloe...that's so 4th grade."

"I'm from Metropolis, Chloe said lamely, like that was a good reason for buying some 'Metropolis Girl' cosmetics. "And that 'Hello Kitty' lipgloss...Clark gave it to Me on Valentine's Day last year..."

"Oh...well that's ok then," Lana said and dropped the gloss back in the case. "Hey! This can work," Lana smiled when she saw Maybelline VolumExpress mascara. It was a good brand and Lana loved the pink barrel. She opened it up; the liquid was all gunky and old. "Ew!"

"Sorry," Chloe said. Lana quickly tightened the mascara top and hid it under the pencils. "I just got that, too."

"Where's the rest?" Lana asked with a sigh, handing back the case.

"That's it," Chloe said, opened the case, took a unmarked #2 pencil and bit into it nervously.

"No, really," Lana said, looking at Chloe's dresser for signs of anything cosmetic. "Where's the rest of it?"

"Honest," Chloe said. "That's it." Lana gave Chloe a face of supreme disapproval. "At my old school," Chloe said quickly, "I wore lots of make-up."

"Yes," Lana said, looked at old class pictures of Chloe stuck on her dresser mirror, and noticed in each snapshot Chloe's clean, untouched face. "Tons of it. You look whorish."

"Well," Chloe said, chagrined, "maybe not like before. I'm more worried about this."

"Worried about what?" Lana asked; Chloe's total lack of cosmetics was mind-warping to Lana.

"RIGHT.HERE." Chloe stepped in front of Lana and pointed to the zit.

"That?" Lana asked, trying not to make a big deal about what looked like the makings of a boil, possibly a goiter. "I ...I thought it was a mole."

"I have 3 on this cheek," Chloe pointed out; Clark liked the triangular shape they made on her skin. "On this side: This. Is. A. ZIT!"

"_Yeesh_." Lana winced, forced to stare at it; she really, really didn't want to looked at that zit.

"OH GOD! It's worse than I thought!" Chloe flopped back onto her bed and covered her face with one of her many pillows.

"Calm down," Lana simply said. Chloe said something in anguish, but the pillow muffled her words. "Chloe, move the pillow so I can hear you."

"I take care of My skin!" Chloe shouted after moving the pillow. "Clark says I have perfect skin!"

"Do you use Neutrogena?" Lana asked and sat on the edge of the bed. "I use it all the time."

"Ummm...I like Clinique," Chloe said, propping herself up on her pillows.

"Here," Lana said and dug into her bag. She handed Chloe small samples of Neutrogena soaps and astringents.

"Samples?" Chloe asked when she took them from Lana. "And I thought Pete's love of product placement was bad."

"Huh?" Lana wondered.

"Nothing," Chloe whispered; the samples were a nice gesture. "But what about the zit?"

"Don't worry," Lana smiled, "I can cover any blemish you may have... plus it's not that big and pointy...I think I have some type of putty to build around it to smooth it out."

"Oh god." In Chloe's mind, she was becoming the female version of The Elephant Man.

"I need to bring in some reinforcements," Lana said.

"Reinforcements?" An image of Lana in safari clothing and wielding an elephant rifle popped in Chloe's head.

"Yeah," Lana said. "I'll be right back."

Lana ran to her car, grabbed her CD case and put that atop her make-up "case" once she got it from the back of the Corvette. The case was actually a HUGE black trunk, had multi-levels to it, contained everything a professional make-up artist would possibly have in it. Lana loved doing the make-up for all her friends and every girl on the cheerleading squad. She groaned while she dragged it into the house and upstairs; the trunk weighed a less than half than her own weight.

"You CAN'T have just one shade of pink in there," Chloe snarked when Lana made it into her room. Lana smiled. She let the trunk drop and rubbed her lower back. "_Can you_?" Chloe asked worriedly.

"Jeeze!" Lana grumbled. "Wear pink predominately for 15 years and you get typecast! I happen have every single color you could possibly imagine and all sorts of cosmetics in this damn thing."

"Impressive," Chloe nodded, and wondered just where Lana wore those different colors.

"I need music." Lana opened her CD carrier and helped herself to Chloe's stereo-system, taking out the Dave Matthews CD and slipped in a Joan Jett CD. Chloe's eyes went wide when she saw Lana suddenly sing with Joan Jett:

_"I don't give a damn...'Bout my reputation...I've never been afraid of any deviation...An' I don't really care...If ya think I'm strange..I ain't gonna change...An' I'm never gonna care...'Bout my bad reputation...Oh no, not me...Oh no, not me"_

"You DON'T have a bad reputation," Chloe giggled.

"What?" Lana said, snapped out of her reverie.

"You have like this spotless rep, Lana," Chloe said. "You're practically viewed as a nun by everyone ."

"To save your virgin ears, I'm going to paraphrase Kathryn's line from 'Cruel Intentions', ok?" Lana looked at Chloe with steely determination. "I didn't ask to be Lana Lang! Do you think I relish the fact that I have to act like Mary Sunshine twenty-four seven, so I can be considered a 'laaaady'? Do you think I take great delight when I hear ... "Lana is so wonderful." "Lana is a model child." "Lana is going to make an excellent wife one day."

Chloe looked at Lana wided eyed.

"I'm like the Marcia Freaking Brady of Smallville and sometimes I want to KILL myself for it. Got it, Chloe? So there's your psychoanalysis, Doctor Freud...," She smiled at Chloe's shocked expression, and was happy to finally let someone in on her inner turmoil. "Now, about me doing your make-up...are you in or are you out?"

"In," Chloe smiled. 'This Lana really rocked', she thought. 'I wanna hang with this girl.'

"What's the overall effect you're going for?" Lana asked. She opened up the trunk and pulled out the attached trays. "Tart? Jezabelle? Harlot?" Lana wiggled her eyebrows. "Slut?"

"Umm...no," Chloe said mumbled, thinking Lana rocked a little less now. "I was thinking...Sassy! Smart! Strong! Sexy!" She said rapidly and grinned. In the future, Clark will say the same thing; kismet. Chloe sat up on her bed, and saw that with the amount of cosmetics Lana had, those effects would be easy to achieve.

"Ok, I can do that," Lana said halfheartedly, wishing Chloe said yes to at least one of her options; Lana did 'slut' make-up especially well. "Sit on the edge of the bed, Chloe."

"I don't want the make-up gun set to 'slut', Lana," Chloe said when Lana pulled out a lot of make-up.

"Too bad," Lana smiled, making sure Chloe's face was clean, dry and moisturized, "it is."

"That's funny," Chloe giggled.

"What do you mean?" Lana said, perfectly straight faced.

"Lana...," Chloe said.

"Don't worry, I won't make you look slutty...," She said and applied a liquid foundation, using a triangle-shaped sponge, making sure to blend past the jaw-line, not wanting a drastic line where the foundation stopped. "Well, not _too_ slutty. It IS your first ever date and all."

"WHAT!"

"I'm kidding," Lana smiled sweetly. "Well, kind of...," Lana said. "We have to gradually build you up to slutty for Clark." She started applying the professional grade concealer with a brush on that ugly zit. "Tho springing it on him might be fun."

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea," Chloe whispered.

"Ok, ok," Lana said, pulling away from Chloe's frightened face. "I suppose you really want 'sassy-smart-strong-sexy', and not take my advice, right?"

"Yes," Chloe said, the thickness of the make-up on her face worrisome. "I thought that was implict the first time around with the not hoping the make-up gun was set on slut rider."

"How about 'sassy-smart-strong-sexy with a skanky dark hidden side'?" Lana asked.

"How about 'Clark...kiss Me'?" Chloe whispered, wondering if Lana was revealing more about her secret-self to her.

"I can make him want to do more," Lana said with a wink.

"Lets start with a kiss," Chloe said, wanting to feel Clark's lips again.

"Sounds like a plan," Lana nodded, giving up. Using the concealer, she applied some to the areas under the eyes and on Chloe's eyelids (this would help the eye shadow Lana was going to apply stay on better).

"It's getting dark," Chloe said, sitting motionless, fighting the caffiene jitters, while Lana applied eyeliner, using a liquid form for a more dramatic night look, to the lower lid and upper lid.

"Don't worry," Lana whispered. "It's custom to make the guy wait AT LEAST 15 minutes after he shows up."

"Ok." Chloe figured Lana knew...well, not knew best, but knew a bit more than she did about dating.

"Looking sexy," Lana said, applying the eye shadow a little stronger and darker on the lid and blended it out up into the crease.

"Really?" Chloe smiled; She was skeptical of Lana's skills at first, but while Lana deftly applied the make-up, she calmed down.

"You're a real hottie!" Lana said. "You're such a pretty girl and some make-up kicks you up to hottie status. Clark will go nuts!"

"Thanks!" Chloe's smile grew wider. Lana brushed on some blush on Chloe's cheeks, dusted on some powder to prevent shininess and to set the make up. She finished with Chloe's lips, going with a tinted flavored gloss.

"Melon," Chloe said, smacking her lips. Lana nodded. Chloe liked the flavor and hoped Clark would like the taste, too.

"Here," Lana said and handed Chloe a pink plastic handled mirror.

"Wow," she said in a teeny tiny voice, seeing a sassy-smart-strong-sexy superhottie with her make-up. She looked at Lana gratefully.

"If you get all teary eyed and ruin that make-up," Lana said with the sweetest of smiles, "I'll kick your a$$."

"Ok, no tears," Chloe said with a smile. She watched Lana reach into her trunk and grab some odd shaped tweezers. "What are you doing with those?"

"You have a few strays," Lana informed. She closed in on her.

"No...," Chloe scrambled back on her bed.

"Gunna getcha," Lana giggled and pounced on the bed. They giggled like what they were, schoolgirls. Suddenly, Lana straddled Chloe's stomach. "No really, I said gunna getcha...now...don't move." She plucked at a hair. Chloe yelped. Lana held the offending hair up triumphantly. "That damn hair was annoying me to my wit's end when I was applying the make up."

"Jeeze," Chloe whimpered while Lana plucked a new edge on her eyebrows. "I didn't think this would involve some type of torture..."

"You think thats torture?" Lana said, getting off of Chloe's tummy, and laid beside Chloe's prone body. "3 words: Brazillian Hot Wax."

"Brazil? What do you mean?" Chloe wondered. Lana rolled and whispered in her ear what was the Brazillian.

**"NOOOOOO WAYYYYYYY!"** Chloe screamed out; Lana fell off the bed.

"Why would ANYONE do that?" Chloe was amazed."I can't imagine all of it gone, let alone leaving a little bit." The Brazillian was...well...that 'look' was something Chloe would NEVER do. For _anybody_. She looked down at Lana, who was rubbing her butt. "Did...you...do...that?"

"No way!" Lana said. She straightened out her skirt and climbed back on the bed.

"Good!" Chloe was happy that Lana had some common sense.

"Well...the beauty shop in Metropolis won't let minors get it," Lana explained and Chloe's head reeled that Lana checked out the Brazilian. "A friend of a friend of a friend of some guy that dropped out last year is hooking me up with a fake ID, so I might get the Brazillian for the summer," Lana confided.

"I'm just getting a new swimsuit for summer," Chloe looking at Lana wide-eyed. Lana shrugged.

"Let's get your hair done," Lana said, climbing off the bed. "Keeping with the trend of your look, let's change up your style."

"Umm..." Chloe didn't know if she wanted to change it. She always the flip in her hair. Lana looked at her holding a narrowpiped curling iron. An idea flashed in Chloe's mind. "Maybe some randomly placed ringlets...and tousled hair...not flippy?"

"Oooh!" Lana smiled, envisioning the look already. "I love it!"

Chloe sat and Lana worked her magic again. Lana bopped her head and danced to some older alt rock music, spritzing Chloe's hair to create the crinkly tousled look.

"And now, the piece de irrésistance," Lana said and spun the curling iron in her hand. "The ringlets to make Clark randy!" Lana created tight spiral curls in Chloe's hair, spaced them evenly, not too many to overwhelm the rest of the hair's look or detract to her make-up, or the clothes. Lana shot quick puffs of hairspray to hold the hair in place. "Done...and you look HOT!"

"Whoa." Chloe nodded, looked in the mirror again, and smiled at Lana."You totally rock."

"Yes," Lana agreed and giggled. "I actually do. Now, since you don't any real makeup, I'm going to make a "care package" of makeup to take on the date."

"Cool...and it won't even dent your supply," Chloe giggled.

"Never _EVER_ joke about make-up," Lana looking at Chloe in from the corner of her eye. "Make-up saved your butt from that zit."

"Touche." Chloe looked in the mirror; the zit was well hidden. Then she realized that Clark and Pete didn't mention it at all. She loved her boys.

Lana pulled out fresh lip gloss and some blush, placing it in Chloe's free hand. Chloe smiled. Then the smile faded; Lana created a MOUND of make-up products in her little hand. She dropped the mirror on the bed watching Lana kept piling on the makle-up in her palms.

"Jeeze, Lana," Chloe began to snark, "why don't you just give me a spray can?"

"It's not my fault you are so make-up deprived," Lana said. "And," she said, placing one last lipstick on the mound, "thats the last one."

"This is a ton," Chloe said, sitting on her bed, picking through the cosmetics. Chloe counted up 50 different pieces.

"This a normal amount for a girl in high school," Lana scolded. "Now that we are done...you need 'The Lana Rules for Dating', Chloe."

"I do?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, you do," Lana nodded. "You're lost: You have no make-up, no back-up clothes in case of an emergency...I shudder to think how you'll act on this date."

"Clark and I hang out everyday," Chloe pointed out. "Now its just going to be more...romantic."

"Look," Lana said, mad that Chloe made sense. "I have been getting Cosmo, Seventeen and Elle since I was 8. After years of reading the advice columns I created my own set of rules. They work perfectly with Whitney. I've helped other girls. Now its your turn. Go get your recorder."

"You're joking," Chloe laughed.

"_Move it!_" Lana pulled Chloe onto her feet. "_Move it!_"

"Ok!" Chloe grabbed her recorder, sat on the bed again, and frowned because there was no Clark around to get a sound check. Or save her from this situation, she realized when Lana cleared her throat.

"Ready for the 'Rules'?" Lana said, settling on the bed, too.

"Yes," Chloe pushed record. "These are the 'Lana Rules of Dating'..." She pointed the recorder at Lana.

"_The First Rule_," Lana said into the built in mic on the recorder. "Don't try too hard. This is still Clark. If you suddenly start acting all lovey-dovey weird around him, he'll regret changing the status. Do Stay Cool. In your case, Chloe, possibly endanger your life...He's used to that. After Clark saves you, don't give him a chance to just hug. Plant one on him hard. And when he opens his mouth in surprise, slip him some tongue."

"That's a pretty good rule," Chloe said with a slight nod; she berated herself for not going for the rescue french kiss before.

"_The Second Rule_ is don't try and prod Clark into complimenting you on something," Lana said, looking at Chloe. "After what you told me about him in IM, knowing him he'll never get it, and you will look conceited or desperate. However...if he doesn't notice your new clothes, hairstyle, or perfume and doesn't say something...DO spill something on him."

Chloe giggled.

"_The Third Rule_." Lana stopped talking and did a quick ratta-tat on her thighs to the music. "I love that partof the song." Chloe smiled. "Third rule is: Do let Clark win you over, but provide a challenge, that way he feels like he worked for it, and you stay interesting," Chloe loved the idea of challenging Clark, and letting him win her. "Hint to him what he could win...all breathy in his ear then bite his earlobe."

"I like that rule," Chloe grinned. Lana nodded.

"_The Fourth Rule_ is: Don't wear sticky or smelly lipgloss," Lana said and Chloe nodded. "Guys hate having it on their lips afterwards. Do wear fruity lipgloss like the kind I used on you, or gloss that wipes off easily." Chloe nodded again. "Don't uses his shirt to wipe off excess lipstick or gloss, especially at the bottom of the shirt. Whitney says Mrs. Fordman is still upset at Me for finding My lipstick there," Lana looked at the ceiling. "Jeeze, why she just get over it!"

Chloe just stared at Lana.

"Moving on," Lana blushed a bit. "The Fifth Rule is when applying perfume, don't forget the secret spot."

"Secret spot?"

"Don't interrupt," Lana smiled. "This applies for body lotion, too. The usuals are wrists and neck, and the secret spot is just below your lower abs, above the pubic bone." Lana pointed the spot on Chloe and Chloe blushed. "Clark will love it without even realizing it. Do whisper to Clark to sniff out your pulse points...and hint there's a special spot...grab his ears and guide him if needed."

"Ok!" Chloe said too enthusiastically. Lana thought there was hope for her yet.

"_The Fifth Rule_ is important: Don't wait until the end of the night to get the goodnight kiss out of the way. It'll save alot of awkwardness later if it just happens sometime during the date," Lana said solemnly. "But don't jump the gun! Do be cute about it if you decide to plant one on him early, or encourage him lightly if he looks like he's considering kissing you."

"Ok...sounds sensible," Chloe opined.

"If Clark DOESN'T kiss you goodnight, do 1 of 2 things," Lana advised. "Grab him by the shirt and say 'what the hell? kiss Me idiot!' or two: start rumors at school about him and that milk cow Bessie. That will learn him. Learn him good."

Chloe started laughing.

"I'm serious!" Lana said, stone cold. Chloe's laugh died.

"Ok...so what do I do when at school and stuff?" Chloe asked. She was interested; Lana had good advice if she could filter the psychoticness from it.

"Ok...here's some general 'Lana Rules' for you," Lana offered with a smile. "If you catch another girl checking out Clark at school, thats ok. He's with you, she can be jealous all she wants." Chloe smiled; She waited over a year to finally get Clark, and she'd love to flaunt her boyfriend. "But," Lana added, "discreetly start rumors about her doing it in the dirty boiler room. That tactic really works...ask Heather Adams . She will never look at Whitney, I'll tell you that."

Chloe nodded. That rumor tore Heather up. And doing "it" in the boiler room? Chloe shuddered, the very thought of it made her _gag_.

"If you DO catch Clark checking out another girl, immediate and drastic action required," Lana said sternly. "Interrupt his gaze, like trip or something. If you trip, try to flash a little more flesh to erase the memory. Or mention that he hasn't found the special perfume spot yet. Anything to get his attention back to where it belongs. On you." Lana reached out and held Chloe's hand and said, "This may sound harsh...but try to find someone to try to kill you...but make sure Clark is close by."

"Umm...ok," Chloe said.

"When walking in the school hallways, try not to hold hands all the time," Lana said.

"Really?" Chloe was shocked. "But I been waiting SO long to do that!"

"An even better idea is to wrap an arm around each other," Lana winked, and Chloe smiled. "This gives you an opportunity to cop a feel under his backpack."

Chloe thought about Clark in his jeans, and his buns of steel. 'Yummy,' she thought.

"Or," Lana said, jolting Chloe away from mentally molesting Clark, "walk in front of him with his arms around you. This allows you to snuggle into his front, and feel how much he appreciates your cargo pants. Also, he gets a great birdseye view of the 'Chloevage' you got."

"What?" Chloe asked. Lana pointed at her chest.

"Chloevage?" Chloe said, looking down at her chest and grinned. "Chlooooowvage!"

"I just thought of it," Lana laughed. "And when Clark is thinking about the 'Chloevage' and snug pants, that is when you make plans for the weekend."

"Not a bad plan," Chloe said. Lana nodded slowly. Chloe started to think about how she was going to snuggle up to Clark at breaks at school Monday.

"Do you just give Clark's clothes back?" Lana wondered noticing that Clark's clothes were folded and stacked amid Chloe's haphazardly tossed-around clothes. 'She got it bad for him.' Lana thought.

"GIVE them back? HA! I make him gimme something for them," Chloe said with an evil grin. "A shirt for shirt...flannel for flannel...but I'm way ahead...I even snagged old baby pictures and stuff!"

"Nice Job!" Lana complimented. "But, do you just hand them back?"

"No," Chloe blushed. "I say to come over in an hour to get them. In between that hour, I wear them just after putting on some lotion. Then I spray on some perfume, THEN return the shirt or whatever to him," Chloe blushed even more; she never told anyone that. "That way they smell like Me. And Pete says Clark secretly keeps them in his pillowcase for a few days before giving them to his mom to wash!"

"Oooh ...very nice," Lana said. "I never knew you had it in you."

"Thank you...thank you," Chloe stood and bowed. She sat back on the bed. "I also leave some of My stuff in Clark's bedroom...in the loft, in his locker, in his backpack. You name it, I infiltrated it!"

"You're covering all the bases!" Lana said happily. "Now...to build on that, let's take it a step further..."

"Ok," Chloe agreed; anything that could further her relationship with Clark was always a good thing.

"Now that you are dating, go buy a Polaroid camera," Lana said.

"Umm...why?" In Chloe's mind, images of yoga positions and lots of skin showing popped up. She fretted; that was further along than she wanted. For _now_.

"When its time to return the shirt, take a Polaroid of you wearing just it alone, and stick it in the shirt pocket for him to find," Lana said with a knowing grin.

"Just the shirt?" Chloe said relieved; Clark's shirts and flannels were huge on her and the bottom hems fell mid-thigh. They made great pajamas.

"Yes," Lana said, "and, with flannels, leave some of the top buttons undone and show off that 'Chloevage.' Give him something other than 'Playboy' to look at."

"Clark doesn't have 'Playboys,' Lana," Chloe said confidently. "I checked...everywhere. Pete does, tho. Lots."

"All teenaged boys have 'Playboys' and they are well hidden," Lana said with an air of authority. "They are like precious jewels. Did you really check everywhere?"

"Well," Chloe thought, "everywhere in the house and Loft. Except I didn't check the storm cellar."

"Won't be there," Lana laughed. "Who'd hide anything in there?"

"Yeah," Chloe laughed at the sheer absurdity of Clark hiding something precious down _there_. "But a Polaroid? I have a digital camera...I can just send him pix," Chloe said...and thought she should have been doing that the whole time.

"NO!" Lana yelled into the recorder and startled Chloe. Chloe fumbled it and it landed on the bed. She scooped it up and held back up to Lana. "I speak from experience:_ E-mails can be opened by parents_. It's not the same putting a pic tucked away into a pocket... use the cam to take, download and print out the pics."

"Gotcha," Chloe said with a smile. "You _'actually'_ have some practical advice, Lana."

"I have lots of experience...lots and lots of it," Lana said with a secret smile.

"Does Nell have any idea about your 'experience'?"

"She asks if I sometimes if I feel the temptations of peer pressure," Lana said with a innocent smile, going into her favorite part of 'Cruel Intentions.' She showed Chloe the small crucifix necklace she wore on along with the meteorite nugget necklace. "I tell her I turn to God and he helps me through the problem." She clasped the crucifix and closed her eyes. The she opened one eye. "Saying that just keeps Nell off my back when I go out the "that older boy" Whitney."

"Ok," Chloe laughed. "You're bad!"

"Thanks!" Lana smiled. "You made My night. Now...lets choose some perfume, and you, Miss Sullivan, are ready!"

They carried some perfume bottles that Lana brought and went down to the kitchen.

"Hey girls," Gabe Sullivan said, home from work. It was 6:30 pm. He looked at the girl by Chloe. "Who are you?"

"Hi Dad," Chloe said. "This is Lana...she's my friend."

"Hi, Mister Sullivan," Lana said and waved.

"A girl? That's a change," Gabe said. Chloe rolled her eyes. "Chloe always has Clark over. I'm going to start charging him rent." Lana laughed. "I'm all set to bring out the cot for him to sleep on in the den."

"Dad!" Chloe said, embarrassed. Lana laughed some more.

"Ok, ok," Gabe smiled. "I'm going to watch 'Sportscenter' on ESPN."

"Ok, Pops," Chloe said brightly.

"Nice meeting you, Mr. Sullivan," Lana grinned.

"Nice meeting you, Lana." Gabe said and left the girls alone.

"Hmm...on second thought...maybe Clark staying here _is_ a good idea," Chloe said with a huge grin to Lana.

"I HEARD THAT!" Gabe's voice bellowed from the den.

The girls laughed and started to test each perfume. Between sprays, they sniffed coffee grounds to clear the perfumes from their nostrils.

"OOOO!" Chloe yelled happily. "I love this one!"

"'Be Delicious' from DKNY ," Lana smiled. "Good scent." Chloe loved the slight apple scent to it. She spritz it on her pulse points. "Forgetting one" Lana reminded and pointed, and a blushing Chloe sprayed the secret spot.

"I have an idea," Chloe said and sprayed behind and on her earlobes a cinnamon scent. "A nice surprise for Clark."

"Great idea!" Lana exclaimed. "I'm using that one."

There was a knock on the door.

"Stay here!" Lana yelled to Chloe, ran and peeked out the window by the door.

It was Clark.

It was 6:45.

He was _way _early for The Date.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Chapter Nineteen**  
_

When dusk fell over Smallville, an inner darkness also fell on the formerly bright disposition of the chimpanzee Beppo. In the blackness of the room, he rocked back and forth on the pads of his feet. He heard the carnival crowd laugh, cheer, and enjoy the rides, the food and the happy atmosphere. 

Through the windowpane, Beppo watched every couple that walked by the motor home. He sniffed and spied, waiting for Blonde, waiting for the Tall One to walk on by.

"Hey Beppo," Joe Young. He noticed a huskier frame on the animal, but didn't see the defined muscles, in the dark. He was more concerned seeing the chimpanzee; he'd never seen Beppo so agitated. "Calm down."

Beppo turned slowly and looked at the Nice Man. Joe saw a dullness in Beppo's eyes that had never before existed. The animal pointed at his food basket. It was empty.

"Now, Bep'...you know you get a runny stomach if you eat too much," Joe said.

Beppo jumped from the couch he was on to the basket and got an apple core. He howled and patted his stomach.

"No," Joe said." No food."

Beppo stared at Joe. Suddenly, the apple core hit Joe hard on the forehead. Then another one hit him. Then the basket hit him in the stomach. Joe reeled and fell against the wall.

"Beppo!" Joe yelled. "What the hell !"

The animal patted his stomach fast and stomped towards Joe. He stared at Joe and bared his teeth.

"Ok!" Joe said, scrambling up. "I'll bring you some damn food!"

Ten minutes later, meteor particles flowed through Beppo again, and he felt his muscle fibers snap, grow, and heal with each bite, felt his skin and bones toughen, felt his body grow stronger, faster, his mind keener, and felt his own existance become powerful, with a purpose more than to make a monkey out of himself.

"**_KLOW-EEE_**," He said, voice raspy. He was _evolving_.

He went to the window again.

And he waited.

* * *

There were times in his young life that Clark felt uneasy, unsure, and overall undecided how he felt about Chloe; he wanted to be best friends with her like he was with Pete. He also wanted to be more than friends. But he didn't want to break her heart somehow, so he kept his distance, claiming he wasn't ready. But in a simple Instant Message on AOL the night before, from his heart to her heart, he changed the status quo, and he stood in the doorway, her date to the carnival.

He knocked and waited. Unlike in the morning, he knocked right on the door the moment he stepped on the welcome mat. He looked at the mat and he couldn't help but laugh; Chloe and her dad had novelty-themed mat...one with flying saucers and little green men saying 'Welcome Visitors!'. It wasn't pure coincidence that Clark felt very much welcomed at the Sullivan's place.

'I wonder what's up', he thought, wondering why no one came to the door. He was tempted to use his x-ray vision, but he didn't want to spoil the surprise of seeing Chloe all dressed up. He paced a bit on the stoop, excited, hyper and he badly wanted to see his girlfriend. Again, that very notion was surprising and scary and... it felt right. Clark thought about all the times he 'hung out' with Chloe, and everything clicked. Only when a 'meteor freak' was in town did they get 'weird' around each other; Clark was more cautious and she more reckless. And worse, he had to dodge her questions and comments how Clark defeated the 'freaks' 'cat-and-mouse' style.

"Oh _Hell_," Clark said under his breath when noticed Lana's little red corvette parked on the street, past by the mailbox. 'I thought we were meeting up,' he thought, kicked a rock and pulverized it to dust. 'I hope we don't ride with Lana,' he groaned. 'I get sick just being around her.' Lana's necklace contained a meteorite nugget and that substance always make Clark weak, or ill. Resigned to being driven to the carnival by Lana, the girl that made him queasy, Clark knocked again on the door to meet his date, Chloe and meet his destiny.

"Its customary to make Clark wait if he's early, Chloe," Lana said after she scrambled back into the kitchen. She cornered Chloe, cutting off routes to the front door. "He must wait 15 minutes and since its a first date, 'Lana's Rules' say an extra 15."

"Oh man," Chloe fussed. "30 minutes? I can barely sit still in class for the alloted 45 minutes...and you expect me wait for _THE BIGGEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE_?" Chloe felt caged. She wondered if she could get past Lana and answer the door.

"Be cool!" Lana held Chloe's shoulders. "You're calm, cool, collected Chloe Sullivan, reporter." Chloe nodded and took a breath. "Thats better. Plus I bet there are going to bigger moments with you two," Lana said with a smile.

"Oh," Chloe blushed. She wanted more moments, too. Bigger moments that filled memory books. "Did he look nice?"

"I won't tell," Lana smiled; she wanted Whitney to ask Clark for fashion tips.

"Why?" Chloe was curious. "Was Clark wearing blue? Was he in a flannel? I hope he wore..."

"Want me ruin it?" Lana interrupted.

"No," Chloe whispered. She liked surprises. "He was color-coordinated at least? Garanimals all matched up...elephants to elephants?"

"Yes, all matched up," Lana laughed and wondered how Clark kept up with Chloe's razor wit. "Right now," Lana said, "we need a diversion."

"DADDY!" Chloe yelled. Outside Clark heard that and looked at the door with eager anticipation. Gabe knocked over the Pepsi can when hopped up from his Lay-Z-Boy recliner bolted into the kitchen.

"What's the matter?" He said, seeing the girls huddled in the corner of the kitchen. "Is there a mouse in here, or something?"

"Not a mouse, Daddy," Chloe said. "Clark's here."

"That's nothing new," Gabe said, thinking silly girls. "Just open the door."

"Mr. Sullivan," Lana turned and smiled. "We need you to stall Clark for 30 minutes."

"Umm...Are you sure about that, Lana?" Gabe answered and looked at his daughter, saw the weird uncertainess on her face. Chloe shook her head for him not to stall. He knew Chloe was waiting for this day since the first day of school LAST year. 'Hell,' Gabe thought, 'I have been waiting too.'

"Yes WE do," Mr. Sullivan." Lana softly elbowed Chloe.

"Well...yeah," Chloe said. "He's early."

"Ok," Gabe said, and went to the door.

"YES!" Lana punched her hand in the air, a quick cheerleader's arm salute, grabbed Chloe's and hustled Chloe upstairs.

"Hey there, Clark, Gabe said after he opened the door. "You're a little early."

"Hi, Mr. Sullivan." Gabe moved aside and Clark walked in and guessed a Hurricane Chloe sighting in a few seconds. But there wasn't the usual bootfalls, or sudden smiley face coming around any corners. "I'm just a little anxious, I guess."

"Lana's just helping Chloe with ...with...something girlie," Gabe perfectly explained. "They'll be down in a minute or two." Clark nodded with a smile. "C'mon. Let catch the end of the 'Sportscenter'. The Metropolis Knights made a trade."

"Who did the Knights get?" Clark asked, quickly followed the fast moving Gabe into the den and he sat on the large sumptuous couch. If Clark didn't watch sports with his dad or Pete, he watched them with Gabe. The Knights were their favorite baseball team; Chloe suffered through at least three and a half hours of nine innings just because she liked watching her dad and Clark watch the boring game. She, however, loved the team colors of steel blue and action red. She got a team cap, but hadn't worn it for Clark yet.

"They got Mostafa Westover and TC Lacey from the Fawcett City Captains for Steven Beellisdee and Jay Bourne!" Gabe said excitedly. It was a a blockbuster trade for both squads.

"Awesome!" Clark pumped his fist and they high-fived each other. They sat back and watched the details of the trade and listened to the reaction by a sports-reporter, Kris Rli, from television station WHIZ, Fawcett City.

"So, Clark," Gabe said when the sports show went to a commercial. He shifted in his chair and Clark looked at him. Clark never seen Gabe look so serious. "Chloe is really taken with ...she is a darling young girl."

"Umm...yeah," Clark nodded and swallowed hard. He suddenly felt very very uncomfortable. "She's great."

"Yeah," Gabe said and leaned in. "She talks about you a lot...and you two have been spending quite a bit of time together." He stood and walked around the den. Clark's eyes followed him. "You two are always off on some crazy adventures and she rambles on and on how you did this or that." Clark blushed. "I hardly ever see her on weekends," Gabe continued, "and when I do...she's babbling about you." He stopped and looked into Clark's eyes. "So...just what are your intentions with my daughter, Clark?...what are your plans?"

"Intentions," Clark whispered and slumped into the couch. "Plans? Oh man..."

"JUST yanking your chain!" Gabe laughed and patted Clark's knee. "GOD! I have been WAITING to do that to you!" Clark wondered if Gabe had any meteorite on him; he felt sick. "You should see the look on your face!" Gabe laughed and sat back down. "Relax Clark...," Gabe said, seeing that Clark was still slumped on the couch. Gabe thought for a kid that was a hero in Chloe's eyes, he certainly had a weakness: a good prank. "Hey...Lets look at the Sullivan Family photo album, ok?...I don't think you've seen it." Gabe got up and Clark thought the flight to Metropolis had nothing on being alone with Mr. Sullivan.

"Can I please go downstairs?" Chloe whined for the 50th time since Lana hustled her into the bedroom.

"No No No," Lana said, tiredly for the 50th time, sitting against the door, knees drawn up. 'I need a wine cooler,' she thought

"Lana...I know My dad...he's probably doing something embarrassing." Her mind raced to the time he put a whoopie cushion on her chair when Clark first had a Sullivan Family traditional dinner (actually Chinese take out); it was loud, realistic and she turned shades darker than the barbecue pork sauce. Chloe made a move to the door. "Oh God. He probably already did. I hope he doesn't start with the poop jokes. Let Me go."

"No No No," Lana said, tiredly for the 51th time, bracing herself against the door. "You have to follow the Rules! Tell Clark to be on time!" Chloe sat back on the bed, and wished she had a frapuccino; Lana sorely needed a malt beer.

"This is Chloe at the Watergate Hotel," Gabe said, sitting by Clark on the couch. He had several albums out. Clark smiled at all the pictures of Mr. Sullivan and Chloe at theme parks, museums, zoos, and many at historical landmarks; he liked the picture of Chloe in front of the White House. "I had to explain to her that she DIDN'T want to be 'Deep Thro...'...well...I'll finish that story later."

"I just know he's telling him weird stuff," Chloe said and frowned dramatically. She bounced on the edge of her bed.

"It can't be all bad," Lana said. Nell was a great buffer for Lana, usually quick with milk and cookies or tea and ladyfinger sandwiches for Whitney. "Can it?"

"...And here's Chloe at Easter," Gabe said, showing Clark a picture.

"Aww," Clark laughed and Gabe nodded; Chloe was dressed in a full bunny outfit, yellow and white fur, a big floppy-eared hood and fuzzy feet. What made it funnier was that Chloe was seven years old.

"She fell asleep hugging her stuffed rabbit on the lawn while we looked for dyed eggs," Gabe said, a little wistful. "After that I called her Snugglebunny...and name stuck when every she wanted to nap or cuddle." Clark smiled and filed that information away...

"Lana, whats that nugget made of?" Chloe asked with resignation, watching Lana fidget with it on the the necklace.

"It's from the meteorite that killed My parents," Lana said softly and closed her eyes. "Nell gave it to me the day my adoption came through."

"Umm...no offense," Chloe looked at her new friend and scrunched her nose. "That's morbid, not sentimental."

"What do you mean?" Lana asked, eyes flashing open, clutching the green nugget; sometimes her head buzzed, eyes had sparkles, and her neck went numb, but she didn't link it to the necklace. "Morbid?"

"Well," Chloe said and knelt by her, "it is morbid." She knew it was a delicate subject to Lana, and to proceed with tact, not snark. "I mean, Kennedy's kid didn't walk around with the Magic Bullet on a necklace."

"Oh my god," Lana whispered.

"Just saying," Chloe said, hunching her shoulders, "that I don't carry a copy of Daddy and Mom's divorce papers."

"You're right! That's so true!" Lana yanked off the necklace and threw it. Chloe ducked, but knew Lana wasn't throwing it at her. The rock pinged against the wall and fell into a mound of colorful panties. "What the hell was Nell thinking?" She looked at Chloe, her cheeks red with anger.

"She meant well," Chloe whispered. "I think."

"I think you saved me four extra years of therapy. Thanks!" Lana said and rubbed her brow. She looked at her watch. "Its time." Lana slid her back up the door and slowly opened it. Chloe rushed into her and they knocked heads. "No," Lana said, rubbing the back of her head. "I'll announce you."

"Ow...ok," Chloe said and hoped she didn't have another concussion; they were starting to add up. "Wait," She said, went and handed Lana her digital camera. "Give to Daddy. I want to save this moment." After a minute or so of rubbing her head, Lana put on her old head cheerleader's smile went down the steps and entered the den.

"Hey Clark," Lana said, standing in the doorway, blocking the view of the last few stairs if the stairwell so Chloe could make a grand appearance. 'Whoa!' She thought. 'He cleaned up damn well!' She waved Mr. Sullivan over and gave him the camera.

"Oh, Lana," Clark said with a wan grin. He waited for the nausea to hit like always. "Hi."

"You're date is ready," Lana said with a grin. Clark was surprised that he didn't reel over. Suddenly he perked up more. He heard his date's boot stomps getting closer. Or maybe it was his heart beat. He couldn't tell.

Chloe rumbled down the steps. But she stopped on the last one. She took a breath. She was thinking about this moment, thinking about many other moments about her and Clark since the day she saw him in Mr. Roxy's homeroom in 8th grade...since the kiss in the barn...since the ill-fated invitation to the Sadie Hawkins dance...since every challenging experience with 'freaks'...since every waking moment she had and in many of her dreams...But all of her desires wouldn't be fulfilled if she didn't take that last step.

She couldn't wait anymore.

She smiled, gave her head a little wiggle, and the last step was crossed.

_  
Chloe waltzed into the den...and stopped and melted when she saw Clark..._

_Clark took a step around Mr. Sullivan to greet her...and stopped and his heart soared when he saw Chloe..._

_Gabe lifted the cam to take the picture...and stopped and just looked at them, happy for his daughter, and happy for Clark..._

_Lana started to cheer...but stopped and wished every date for Chloe and Clark could be start this way..._

_  
_  
Chloe and Clark stepped close to each other, looked at each other up and down, saw the new outfits, and saw each smile wider. He took her hand. She shivered."Beautiful," Clark blurted out, blushing. "You look beautiful."

"You look," Chloe said, tugging on his shirt a bit and dipping her head, "really handsome."

"You kids ready to go?" Gabe asked. Clark and Chloe turned and nodded simultaneously. Lana seen them say things at the same time adn now move the same way the same time; she wished Whitney could get in tune with her like that.

"Say Cheese!" Gabe said.Clark wrapped an arm around Chloe's waist. She leaned into him and hugged him. Gabe clicked the button, amazed that they smiled so widely, and looked so perfect together.

"CHEESE!"

**click**

"My work here," Lana whispered to no one, her hands clasped at her chin, smiling, "is done."


	20. Chapter 20

**_Chapter Twenty_  
**

"YAY!" Chloe yelled when her father pulled the car into the parking lot of the fairgrounds. She bounced in her seat looking at the banners for the carnival. She looked into the rearview mirror and smiled at Clark. "I thought we'd _never_ get here!"

"Me too," Clark said back, all scrunched up in the back seat. He grinned and squeezed her shoulder. She leaned her head into his touch.

"Hey, pipe down," Mr. Sullivan said to her, tired of hearing Chloe's complaints of how he drove. Or rather how slow he drove, which was only the speed limit. He aimed the car towards the main enterance. "I'll turn back..."

"No! I've waited so long!" Chloe pleaded. "This was like the longest day _ever _!"

"The whole day felt like a _month_." Clark agreed.

"Feels _longer_ than that," Chloe said, leaning and looking at the rides that could been seen over the tall wooden fence.

"Really?" Mr. Sullivan said, and turned the steering wheel, away from where kids and adults were gathering in front of the ticket booth. He loved to mess with the daughter he loved so much.

"Daddy! It's over there! **_ITS OVER THERE _**!" Chloe screamed. Her father drove farther away in the parking lot.

"Look at allllllllll those pretty cars," Gabe said, pushing Chloe back in her seat. "I hope I can find parking out here in the boondocks."

"**DROP US OFF HERE **!" Chloe screamed. She reached for the lever on the door and Gabe hit the child-protective locks. "**LEMME OUT **!"

"Chloe, we can walk," Clark said, and held her shoulders. He knew he had a calming affect on her. "I'm ok with walking, Mr. Sullivan."

"We're here but not over **THERE**!" Chloe said and twisted in her seat and looked at Clark. "You know I hate walking!" She growled and Clark fell back, the calming effect withering in Chloe-craziness. She turned, looked at her father, growled again and he jerked the wheel; Gabe, like Clark caused many a Chloe-Growl, and the growl aimed at him was a loud guttural one. She bared her pearly white teeth, the braces she wore from 5th to 7th grade made them even and straight.

"Down girl! Down," Gabe said fearfully to her and parked by the fence. "Here...get out...just don't bite!"

"Thank you, Daddy," Chloe said sweetly and kissed his cheek. Gabe unlocked the doors and the kids got out of the car. Chloe skipped over to the driver side window and held out her palm.

"Here." Gabe took out his wallet and pulled out a $20 dollar bill, and started to lay it on Chloe's hand.

"Its my treat, Mr Sullivan," Clark smiled, thinking of Lex's advice, leaning into Gabe's view. "Chloe's My date."

"I like the way you think, Clark," Gabe said and yanked away the bill. "Yoink!"

"DAD!" Chloe snapped. She was embarrassed that her father was acting like a cheapskate.

"Like a real gentleman. You didn't let me finish, Chloe," Gabe smiled. She rolled her eyes, falling for his one-liner. "Clark, take care of My bunny."

"DAD!" Chloe fussed, totally embarrassed. She hoped that endearment slipped past Clark.

"She's safe with me," Clark said and took her hand.

"She says that all the time, you know," Gabe smiled. Clark smiled back.

"Can we please go now?" Chloe looked at Clark and tugged on his hand; she loved her father, but he was well past her 'Daddy-is-embarrassing-me' quota.

"Sure, _Snugglebunny_, Clark said and actually winked at her. Gabe laughed. "Let's go."

"**Gr**..._erk_" Chloe started to growl, but she stopped when she realized it was Clark that said her childhood nickname and not her father; she instantly forgave her father for slipping Clark that anecdote. 'That is _sooo_ hot,' she thought, how Clark said it, meant it and she squeezed his hand and swooned. "Ok."

"I'll be back here at 11 PM," Gabe reminded. "Stay outta trouble, you two!"

"Sure thing, Dad," Chloe said and she and Clark waved bye to Gabe and walked hand in hand to the ticket booth.

"What no 'Daddy'?" Gabe said. But Chloe didn't hear him, she was too into being with Clark, leaning close, nothing between them. Gabe smiled sadly at his daughter, knowing that he was no longer the only man in her life.

* * *

"...We need to see Beppo's act, and I wanna ride 'The Hurler' and 'The Silver Banshee' and 'The Doomsday' AND 'The Eradicator' before Dad picks us up," Chloe said, counting off on her fingers her and Clark's carnival to-do list, slightly bent at the waist, peering through openings in the fence and catching some of the rides' names. She turned and looked at Clark, barely missing where his eyes were looking. "Hey...Why are all the names so menacing?"

"Well, maybe that 'Sparky-Pig-a-Doodle' ride is in the kids area again," Clark said. "You loved that name."

"Oh god, Clark," Chloe said, grabbing his forearm and started giggling. "I still think of last year," She started laughing louder, "you on a the lil' motorized piggie on a train track."

"You asked me to ride with you and you didn't get on!" Clark said and kicked aside a some ice cubes from Chloe's path.

"That's besides the point," Chloe said, smiling, noticing his show of gallantry. 'His parents taught him well,' she thought, 'for me.'

"Everyone laughed at me," Clark fussed.

"Everyone laughed _with_ you," Chloe said and leaned her head into his arm.

"I wasn't laughing," Clark reminded. He was the only rider over 5 foot tall on the ride. Or over 6 foot tall, for that matter.

"You should have...it was hilarious." Chloe listened to the cheerful calliope music playing over the speakers at the ticket booth, and happily spun herself around while they stood in line for tickets. The strobe lights stopped and bathed Chloe in a ruby red glow. Clark gave a little gasp at the sight.

"Beautiful," Clark whispered. But it was loud enough for Chloe.

"If I remember correctly," Chloe said and held his hand, "that's twice you called me beautiful in the last 20 minutes. Before, what was I?" She gave him the Chloe-Resolve face; her jaw was set, eyes serious and she tilted her head.

"Umm," Clark said. "You were still beautiful."

"Oh really?" Chloe said and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, and pretty and cute and other stuff I was too ...dumb to say," Clark admitted.

"Aww, " Chloe said and hugged him. "I'm happy that you've smartened up to say it now."

"Me too," Clark whispered and looked down into her eyes. Maybe it was the strobe lights, or maybe it was natural, but there was a twinkle in her eyes. She pressed closer and rose up safely on her boot-clad toes. He smiled down upon her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hey." The tall skinny ticket seller with a nasally voice was REALLY annoyed that he himself was a dateless wonder. "There's a line you know."

"Oh yeah," Chloe said, looked beside her and smiled at the family next in line.

"Do I need to shield my twins' eyes?" said an older woman. She held onto her 2 blond little girls. The twins were dressed alike, of course, wearing matching green overalls and yellow shirts.

"No," Clark said and released Chloe from the embrace. She slid down and frowned; she was all for the woman to cover the kids' eyes.

"C'mon, kid," said the ticket seller. "You two together?"

Clark opened his mouth to say but...

"HELL YES!" Chloe shouted with glee and pulled on Clark's hand, and dragged him to the ticket booth. "We're a couple. Two of us. Together."

"Yes, two tickets," Clark said and Chloe looked at him expectantly. "For us," He said and she smiled blissfully.

"Just gimme $16 bucks, kid," the ticket taker said with a sigh. "Let's keep the line moving." Clark patted the left pocket and looked puzzled. He thought he put the $20 dollar bill in that pocket. Chloe simply jammed her hand into his right pocket. She found the bill but she let her hand slide around.

"CHLOE!" Clark shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Just giving you a helping hand," Chloe said and pulled the crumpled bill from his pocket. "Jeeze," she said innocently or as best she could muster up. She pressed the bill into his hand. "I might not want to next time."

"Better say sorry to her, kid," the teller said when Clark handed him the money. The guy gave Clark the tickets and the change back from the $20. ":If you don't, you'll regret it later..."

"Sorry, Chloe," Clark whispered and took Chloe's hand.

"I'll hold the tickets, Clark." Chloe snitched the tickets from Clark. "You hold onto me." Clark never let her go when they went through the turnstile, when Chloe handed the tickets over and when they got back torn ticket stubs. Clark laughed while Chloe guided him to a concessions booth.

"I take it that you want some cotton candy?" Clark asked.

"Please Clark? Pleaaaaaaaase? Strawberry with powdered sugar on top?" Chloe asked with her best bewitching smile; she had a good feeling that he really couldn't resist her charms anymore.

"What's a carnival without some?" Clark said, finding her more irresistible. "There's yellow...white...pink..." He looked at Chloe; he knew she had a slight dislike for pink.

"Green cotton candy?" Chloe noticed and pointed it out. Clark winced. "I can't believe they are marketing 'Meteor Fluffs' cotton candy! That's way gross."

"You have no idea," Clark said and Chloe caught the sadness in his voice. It always surprised her how the talk of the meteors always brought him down.

"You know," Chloe said, pulling Clark from the depths that he seemed to be in, "I'm suddenly ok with pink. Can I have one?"

"Sure," Clark said to her. "Hey...hi, you two," he said and waved at two friends from school, Wendy Mezze and Colleen Doranwen, walking by him and Chloe. Both girls waved back getting into line for the Bizarro Fun House attraction.

"Hey Jodi!" Chloe greeted her friend standing in the line. "It's our first date," Chloe announced all smiley. She absolutely wished she could get on the P.A. system and announce it. She even wondered if she could talk Joe Young into saying something about her and Clark during Beppo's act.

"I thought you two were already going out," Jodi said, scanning the menu. She was craving something more substantial than a corn-dog.

"No...we just hung out, went to the movies, picnicked, walked around town together," Chloe said, a little tired of the dumb feeling she got explaining just how not together she and Clark have been since eighth grade.

"Yeah," Clark said, needing to quantify his own dumbness. "We just studied and did homework together."

"Yeah, thats My point," Jodi said, wondering how the _hell_ these two were on the honor roll if they couldn't figure out their relationship. "Everyone thought you two were already a couple...always together."

"Sounds familiar," Clark and Chloe said at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed.

Jodi popped yet another Dexatrim pill and washed it down with the large size cup of A&W root-beer she bought. She was handed a little cardboard box that held a double hamburger and large fries she also ordered. Chloe snitched a fry.

"Hi! I'm Maxine, what can I get you?" The concessions vendor smiled.

"2 pink cotton candies..." Clark began to order to the concession girl. Jodi whispered in Chloe's ear and she giggled.

"No!" Chloe shouted from the side of the queue line. "Just get one and we'll share!"

"Ok," Cark turned to the girl and smiled. She smiled and scratched out what he told her. "Make that one pink cotton candy and 2 pops..."

"One pop," Chloe said between bites of another fry. "We'll share that too!" Clark nodded to Maxine and she x'ed out the number two and wrote one.

"2 straws?" Maxine asked the tall farmboy in front of her. Clark looked over at Chloe.

"I always snitch drinks from your straws before," Chloe said. "We shared one straw at the film festival."

"Ok," Clark said and looked back at Maxine. "One pink cotton candy...1 large pepsi...1 straw."

"Finally," Maxine said with a little exasperation and went to fill the order.

"I'll let you two share cooties," Jodi said finishing the last of the hamburger. Chloe looked at her weirdly; she thought Jodi must have swallowed the hamburger with one bite. "I'll catch up with you two later." Clark and Chloe waved bye to her.

"That will be 6 dollars," Maxine said, setting the drink and the bag of candy down.

"Oh...ok," Clark said with a hint of worry; he had only four dollars on him. Chloe reached in her her huge knapsack and felt for her coin purse. Then she remembered she used the last of her coins trying a mug of cafe con leche dulce at the Talon.

"Maybe I can get a couple bucks from Jodi," Chloe said with some disappointment.

As Chloe turned and looked around for their friend, Clark felt a lump in a pocket of his jacket. 'I must have missed it with Chloe leaning on me,' he reasoned. He reached in and pulled out the money clip. His eyes went wide at the sight of the wad of money. Then he recognized the style of te money clip from what he saw at Strayhorne's. He smiled, thinking of Lex. He slipped off a $20 bill, paid for the snacks, and stepped behind Chloe. "I got you a delicious bag of cotton candy." Chloe spun around.

"I thought you needed a couple of bucks. You're full of surprises," Chloe smiled and took the bag and opened it. She yanked off a huge pink wispy fluff and ate it. "Mmm."

"I want some," Clark said in a little voice and Chloe thought he sounded so cute. Chloe pulled off a small fluff. She slowly lifted it to Clark's lips and held there. She waited. Clark stood still and looked at it. She jabbed the fluff on his lips and nodded wide-eyed. Clark smiled and it dawned on him that she was going to feed the fluff to him, and wasn't just showing the candy to him. He opened his mouth and Chloe fed him. After she placed the fluf in his tongue, Chloe ran her finger on his bottom lip.

"You have some on the corner of your mouth...," she said whispery. Clark heard her perfectly and licked the corner slowly. Chloe watched her boyfriend's innocent act and took deep breath; in Chloe's mind mind the act was sensuous."You missed it."

"Can you get it?" Clark licked again; he hated sticky foods. He remembered the time Pete let him walk around with a piece of barbecue sauce on his cheek at the Ross Family Reunion.

"With pleasure," Chloe said and leaned in, with her mouth...

"Hey!" Pete shouted with a smile, happy to see his best friends. He was with the sought-after Erica Fox. "There you two are!"

Chloe jerked away from Clark and he stepped safely on her foot. Pete's heart stopped for a second because he received the first ever Chloe Death-Stare.

"Oh man, I'm toast," He whispered to Erica. Yet somehow he kept walking toward his doom.

"Yeah," Erica whispered back, thinking it was foolish that Pete was still walking to his friends. She took the foam container of soda; she noticed his shaky hand. "Never get between a girl and her hunny..."

"Hi Pete!" Clark's mouth formed a smile but his eyes are glaring. When he got close, Clark patted Pete's shoulder and squeezed the buff trapzezius muscles there.

"Oh god!" Pete yelped; he was shocked that Clark put the Mr. Spock Vulcan Death Grip on him. Or that he put it on so hard "Ow!"

"Hi Erica...great outfit!" He said truthfully to Pete's date.

"Thank you, Clark," Erica said, watching Pete rub his shoulder.

"Get over here," Chloe said and Pete knew he was in for more pain. Erica talked to Clark. "Peter Rodney Ross," Chloe leaned in and whispered angrily. "Your timing is like a sundial's at night: it sucks."

"You two have all night," Pete said and flinched when Chloe moved her hand fast and scratched her nose; she did it on purpose to scare him. She was satisfied. "It's not my fault you two wasted a whole year..."

"Ok, point taken," Chloe said but still jabbed her friend's shoulder. "Just don't bust up anymore kisses, ok?"

"Deal," Pete said. He and Chloe turned to their dates and went to them.

"Hey," Erica said. "Like I was telling Clark: lets go play some games...have some fun!"

"Ok!" Chloe said, suddenly bubbly and back to holding Clark's hand

"I'm all in," Pete said, taking Erica's hand. They walked, laughing, eating their candies and drinking their pops, walking past rows of rides and attractions until Chloe spotted just the right game booth.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Chapter Twenty-One**_

Chloe kept moving, her eyes peeled for just the right prize that she wanted that night, other than Clark. She purposely prevented Clark from both playing the games that Pete chose: shooting basketballs at a warped rim at one booth and filling a balloon with water shot from a pistol at another one. Much to Pete's chagrin, he failed at his attempts to win a prize for Erica.

"Ooo! There!" Chloe screamed and let go of Clark's hand. Clark was amazed that she ran without a 'meteor freak' in sight. She scampered the last eight feet to the "Firestorm Toss" game booth. He saw why: the prizes were plush teddy bears, ranging in size from the smallest the size of a 'Beanie Baby' to an enormous plushie about the size of Chloe herself. "You said you'd win me a teddie bear," Chloe reminded Clark with a big grin.

"What?" Clark said and smiled; he knew full well that he wrote the night before in their AOL chatroom that he was going win her a prize. What he didn't know was that Chloe was actually referring to him as the big stuffed bear.

"Yup Bro, you did," Pete said, patted Clark on the back; he was also in the chat room.

"Ahem," Erica coughed-spoke.

"And I promised Erica, too," Pete added.

"Among other things," She said back.

"Really?" Chloe saddled close to her. "Tell!" They whispered and giggled and they walked to the booth.

"The object of this game is ta knock down a pyramid of glass bottles you see before with this mushy softball," Joe the carny droned on loudly to passer-by in a bored southern twang. He sparked up when he saw Chloe and Erica approach. He scratched where his cropped Bob Segar tour tee-shirt exposed his stomach. "Well, hellllllo, lil' ladies."

"No," Chloe said simply. "We have boyfriends."

"Daaaaang!" Joe said. "Well, get them to knock down all 3 bottles and you get a bear." He waved a little bear with "Carnival 2000" embroidered on the stomach at the girls. "It's harder than it looks. The bottles are 6 looong feet away." He shook his long mullet and wiped his scraggly mustache with one finger looking at the girls. Chloe and Erica just laughed him.

"Step on up and win your chickies a prize." Joe got serious when he saw Clark and Pete, and their muscular builds. "To get the bigger bears, you guys hafta knock them all down with every ball." Clark looked at Chloe and she smiled and pointed at the biggest bear. "The lil' lady likes the big ones."

"You know it," Chloe said.

"I guess you like the little ones," Joe said to Erica. Pete slammed his $3 dollars for 3 balls into Joe's hand. "Daaaaaang! Hit the bottles, not my hand." After Joe gave Pete a basket with 3 red balls with flames painted on them, Chloe looked at Clark and nodded. Clark bought 3 balls (Joe gave him a basket filled with blue balls), too, and lined up next to Pete and eyed the bottles.

"Win my teddie!" Chloe said, and remembered what she saw on a baseball telecast. She patted Clark on the butt.

"Eep!" Clark jumped and spilled a couple of balls from the basket. "Chloe!"

"Hey...don't distract him," Pete said. "How's he gunna get your prize?"

"Oh yeah," Chloe said and quickly hefted Clark's blue balls back into the container.

"Win me my teddie, too!" Erica said.

"Your command is my wish," Pete winked at her. He rolled his neck, wound up his arm, kicked out his leg and threw with a flourish. For all Pete's machinations, the red ball hit and knocked down just 1 bottle. Still, the girls cheered for him. Clark heard a slight metallic clank when the bottle hit the dirt. 'That didn't sound like glass,' Clark thought, stared and activated his x-ray vision. He saw that the bottles were made of metal, and seemed to be weighted more at the bottom. Clark looked at Chloe and wanted to pull her aside and tell her about the scam. But the way she looked at him, so happy, and just the way she smiled, Clark decided to just get her teddie, and to help Pete out, too.

"I think the lights got in my eyes," Pete said and Erica laughed.

"Heaven forbid you give up after just the first throw," Joe the carny chattered.

"Throw harder Pete," Clark advised. Pete nodded and threw with all his strength. He barely clipped another bottle and held his breath and watched the top bottle wobble; he prayed that the bottle would somehow collapse the bottom two bottles. Finally, the bottle fell...away from the base.

"Yes!" Erica cheered but Pete kicked the booth's wood wall because he didn't win a bear.

"Ok Hard Hat," Joe said. "One last throw."

Pete rubbed the ball in his hand, whispered 'please' to it and he flung toward the bottles. While the girls tracked the ball in flight, Clark decided to use his newly discovered heat vision. He concentrated and eye-jaculated a burst of heat energy at the bottom bottles, melting their base just when the ball struck the top bottle again. All 3 bottles fell and the girls cheered. Pete jumped with both fists in the air.

"Yes!" Pete said. Joe handed Erica a small-sized bear.

"You're up, Big Boy," Chloe said, all smiley to Clark. Clark wondered if he should miss, be Pete-like in normality. "I know you can do it, Clark," Chloe said and rubbed her palms in anticipation of getting a teddy bear. Clark shook his head; he couldn't fail her. He threw the ball and easily knocked down all 3 bottles. Chloe hugged him from behind and Pete slapped Clark on the back. Erica whooped.

"Daaaang!" Joe said to Clark and handed Chloe the teddy. "Wanna try and upgrade to a bigger teddy?"

"Yes he does!" Chloe shouted "Right?" She asked and looked expectantly at Clark. He nodded. He thought of all the times that she risked her life for him, spent her time helping him chase down 'meteor freaks', and if she wanted a teddy bear, he was going to do it. He watched the carny's helper struggle to set up another pyramid; Clark guessed correctly that they used heavier bottles for the base, making it much harder to topple them. It didn't matter: Clark rifled the mushy blue ball twice and scattered the bottles each time. Pete wondered what was Clark's secret, and lamented that he wasn't on the school's baseball team.

"Get the white fuzzy bear," Erica said when Joe offered Chloe a choice from the bigger bears.

"How many in a row to get the HUGE one?" Chloe and hugged the newest bear.

"10 groups in a row," Joe said. "No one has ever done it...I came close, tho," he sniffed. "But, of you say you're going for the big one...you forfeit all the others..."

"Clark has 3 in a row!" She spun to him. She thought the times saved her life, how he somehow stopped 'meteor freaks' and, of what she had seen of Clark, knocking down bottles was nothing to what she knew he could do...or what she had started to suspect he could do. "I know you can do it!"

Clark handed over $7 to Joe for 7 more balls. Chloe, Erica, and Pete held them for Clark. He knocked down 5 sets when he looked back and noticed a small crowd behind him. He loved the attention he was getting from the crowd and really loved how Chloe looked at him adoringly; he noticed that it wasn't any different that how she usually looks at him, and immediately called himself a big dumb alien for pushing Chloe's emotions aside for a year. He knew he had to make it seem that he was lucky on some of his throws. In actuality, the ball toss game, like any other created that he knew about, was far too easy to master.

"Four more!" Chloe yelled to one of her friends. "MY BOYFRIEND is going to go all the way!" The crowd cheered lustily, and Chloe wondered why. Pete whispered to her what the fuss was about and her mortified face made Clark laugh. "I didn't mean it that way!" She shouted. "Heathens!"

"Ok...Just a few more..." Clark said to himself after Chloe and crowd calmed down, trying to pretend he was nervous. He reared back and threw the ball over and over; the ball hit exactly where he aimed: bottom left bottle, bottom right one. Each throw was like a metronome clicking, the pitch's windup, toss, and follow-through was seamless, perfect and all Clark concentrated on was the ball, the bottles...and the racing of Chloe's heartbeat and how she counted off each time he knocked down the bottle.

"One left!" Chloe screamed. She touched Clark's jacket tenderly.

"Ball me," Clark said innocently.

"Gladly," Chloe smiled mischievously, and handed him the last one.

The crowd quieted. Erica hugged Pete. Chloe couldn't wait to kiss Clark.

Clark threw the mushy ball. Everyone held their breath. The ball was soft and a little deformed and it wobbled in mid-flight; Joe hoped the "trick ball" was the last one. Clark watched the ball wiggle and start to arc in trajectory. Chloe followed the ball and saw the new path it was taking was drifting away from the bottles; 'Why am I cursed?' Chloe thought, knowing she wouldn't get the teddy bear...or a kiss.

Clark was set to eye-jaculate when the center of the ball changed again. He smiled and watched the ball careen into the point where all three bottles met.

"DAAAAAAAAAAANG!" Joe yelled.

"YAY!" Chloe screamed and everyone started to cheer.

As the crowd mobbed around Clark, Chloe struggled with the huge teddy bear that Joe gave her; it was her height, and far heavier. She wobbled over to Clark.

"Oh Clark! Thank you so much!" Chloe gushed. She swung the bear to the side and Clark hugged her. They locked eyes. This time, Clark made the move; he leaned in and Chloe closed her eyes, and waited for their lips to touch...


	22. Chapter 22

_**Chapter Twenty-Two**_

"Kent and the quirky newspaper chick zeroing in on a kiss...way to finally sac it up, Kent."

Clark's eyes popped open and jerked his head back when he heard the words and the voice that produced them. Poor Chloe lost her balance and fell into Clark, and butted her nose into his chest. Her lips smacked on his chest, but that didn't count as a kiss at all. She was surprised that his muscles there felt like steel. "Ow!" She smacked Clark's arm for moving away, from her lips, but she saw what made him do what she thought was the unthinkable, what made his muscles so tense: she saw Whitney Fordman, his high school tormentor and Lana Lang, Whitney's girlfriend.

"Jeeze!" Clark whined when Whitney and Lana stood by them. Chloe rubbed her nose and gave the school's star quarterback the death stare. Whitney chuckled at it. Clark pulled away from Chloe and that upset her even more. "Do you ALWAYS have to rag on me?"

"I don't HAVE to," Whitney said with a smug smile. "I WANT to, freshman...besides...you should have been with Chloe last year..."

"Oh," Chloe said, surprised the bully made sense and downgraded her look at Whitney to merely her 'I-hope-you-get-riddled-with-acne' stare. Clark stuffed his hands into his pocket; he had so many powers, so many abilities, and yet, he was cowed by the senior before him. Or, at least, felt that he needed to, for appearances sake.

"Well?" Lana asked pulling Chloe aside, away from their posturing boyfriends. "Did you two kiss? I want details!"

"No," Chloe said, with a dramatic frown. Lana was struck by how her new friend wore her emotions so visibly. "Whitney just interrupted try #2."

"Damn, he didn't mean to, Chloe" Lana said and looked at her boyfriend. She was surprised that Clark was taller. And a bit more muscular. And better dressed. "Sorry, I'll talk to him about his 'Clark-blocking' you." They both laughed at the pun. "I know that he will try to 'Clark-block' you more now that I told him you and Clark are a couple." Chloe smiled at her friend sticking up for her, and liked the fact that someone else called her and Clark a 'couple'; Lana's comment validated it. "Tonight's the night," Lana nodded to her seriously. "I know it."

"I hope so, Lana. The suspense is killing me," Chloe confided. She looked over and saw the two boys still jawing at each other. "Whitney really gets on Clark's case..."

"Whitney actually likes Clark," Lana let Chloe know.

"What?" Chloe gave her a double take; she shook her head. Whitney liking Clark was preposterous, like her notion that Clark was a ...well, whatever _THAT_ thought was, it was silly because it only popped up when she couldn't fully explain HOW Clark was able to be at the right place at the right time doing the right thing in a crisis. "No way."

"Way," Lana nodded, looking the boys acting very much unlike friends. "He rags on him to get on the sports teams... you've seen them on PE teams, Chloe... they are awesome together."

"Yeah," Chloe admitted. "But does he have to act like 'Stifler' all the time? He even rags on me."

"No... he's just seen 'American Pie' too many damn times," Lana said. "I swear I am going to snap that DVD in half."

"Now that you got the girlfriend, Kent, drop the other one so you'll have a pair and join the football team," Whitney said to Clark. Whitney grabbed Pete. "If Pete "The Human Fumble" Ross is starting, you can start."

"Hey!" Pete yelled and shrugged off Whitney's arm. Pete felt bad already about how he mishandled the ball, but a nickname like that would ruin his dating chances.

"Quiet freshman!" The school's record holding QB snapped at Pete. Pete just stood by Erica. She hugged him and whispered that she liked his hands.

"Clark DOES have a pair!" Chloe yelled, tired of Clark just taking Whitney's verbal humiliation. She suddenly felt two inches tall: everyone but Clark turned and gave her an awkward stare. "I mean," Chloe started to say in a little, little voice, "he saves lives...that's really brave." She scrunched her shoulders and hid behind Clark. She pressed her forehead into his back. 'Mental note #847 of the day: no matter how you feel, think clearly before talking about Clark,' she lamented.

"I already told you, Whitney," Clark said, his voice stronger after Chloe called him brave. "My dad won't let me. And stop picking on Chloe."

"Oh yeah?" Whitney said and stepped up to Clark's chest; He was a bit shocked that Clark didn't step back. He locked his blue eyes with Clark's blue-green ones.

"Yeah." Clark said it low and husky. Chloe shivered, not at the thought of Clark fighting, but the simple sound of his voice; it was a powerful sound, one reserved when he was going to fight a 'meteor freak' and she really, really liked it.

"Hey!" Lana said and pushed Whitney and Clark apart. "No fighting! You two boys need to burn off that testosterone another way!"

"Yeah!" Chloe agreed, stepping in front of Clark and looking at him. "Burn it off winning stuff for your girlfriends!"

"Ok, Reporter Girl," Whitney said derisively. "Let's go to 'Thor's Hammer', Clark...now."

"Mjolnir?" Pete said, remembering the name of the mystical weapon that the Norse god used in the comics; Pete was a closet comic collector.

"No, you freshmen scrub!" Whitney said and shook his head. "Thor's Hammer...That!" Everyone looked where he pointed. "The sledgehammer game... who ever rings the bell the most times wins!"

"Wins what?" Clark said.

"If I win, Kent, you tell your daddy that you HAVE to play football," Whitney said, blue eyes intense. "Or I will make sure this year will be hard on you...and your girl."

"If I win, you be nice to Chloe." Clark didn't care what Whitney, or his jock friends could do to him. But everything changed when he mentioned the girl he loved. "...and get off my back."

"DEAL!" Whitney shouted. He couldn't wait to humiliate Clark, humiliate him in front of his date, in front of the school, and get the farm boy on HIS football team.

"DEAL!" Clark wanted to defend Chloe's honor more than beat Whitney at his own game. He looked at Chloe and she nodded her approval; she thought it was romantic that he stood up for her. He smiled at her, turned and stuck out his hand. But Whitney and Lana were already walking to the booth.

With Whitney's loud boasting and energetic gesturing, seemingly EVERYONE that went to Smallville High School headed to 'Thor's Hammer'. All the jocks, all Whitney's teammates, their dates, nerds, stoners, every clique and even some teachers huddled around the booth. Whitney nodded to the game keeper. She smiled back.

"Amanda," Whitney said, looking at the name tag, "how much to rent the game for...," Whitney said, looked at Clark, and smiled at his competition, "just a few swings?"

"20 bucks," she said, thinking that the guys in front of her were built well enough to play the game for awhile. Whitney gave her a ten dollar bill. "Kick in, Clark," Whitney said and watched the farmboy dutifully comply. Amanda struggled giving Whitney and Clark each a 40 pound sledgehammer. Whitney didn't expect the sledge to weigh so much; Clark tried to make it seem it wasn't as light as a feather. The All-County QB's teammates and friends stood on one side. Lana, Chloe, Pete, and Erica on the other.

"Why aren't you standing with my boys?" Whitney asked his girlfriend.

"I'll cheer you on from here." Lana said easily while a few of her other girlfriends stood by her and Chloe: Shania Nahasaphon was in Lana's main clique, an immaculately dressed, beautiful preppie and head of the debate team. Also standing with Lana and Chloe were Jodi Melville, Alicia Baker, Felice Chandler, and Smallville High cheerleader Dolly 'The Energizer Bunny' De La Rosa. "I'm standing with _my_ friends."

"OK!" Whitney knew better than to argue with her. "Rules are simple," he said to the group before him. "The first between me and Clark that can't ring the bell is the loser!" He looked at Clark. "Right, Scrub?"

"Yeah," Clark nodded with anger in his eyes; he wasn't a scrub, really.

"Since girls go first," Whitney said with a cheesy grin. "You're up, Kent."

There was a chant of "FORD-MAN! FORD-MAN! FORD-MAN!" and Whitney strolled around, basking in the sound of his name. Clark looked at the bell and the wooden block on the catapult and wished there was a chant for him. Then he heard something barely audible, faint and whispery.

"Please win Clark."

He turned and saw Chloe, eyes closed, clutching her hands to her chin, and her thumbs almost touching her lips. She opened her eyes and focused solely on him. She moved her hands and smiled, a smile that was his, and his only. Clark realized he didn't need the adoration of others. He just wanted Chloe and her whisper and the way she looked at him was better than any crowd's reaction. He smiled at his girl, turned, lifted the sledgehammer easily and let it drop on the catapult. The beaten square block shot up the 16 foot backer board.

**CLANK!**

"YAY! CLAAAAARK!" Chloe screamed and hugged her teddy.

"You can do it!" Pete yelled.

"You're up," Clark said with a smile to Whitney.

"Don't get cocky, Kent," Whitney said while Clark walked off to the side. The QB hefted the hammer, looked at the catapult and slammed the hammer down.

**CLANK!**

"WOOOOOO!" Lana whooped and did some of her favorite cheerleader moves for her boyfriend while several team members patted Whitney on the back for just making his first swing. The quarterback rolled his neck and strutted off to the side.

"Don't choke," Whitney said to Clark. The farmboy opened his mouth to speak, but...

"No pressure at all!" Chloe yelled. "None!"

"What she said," Clark replied and several football players made a whipping sound. Clark looked at the guys. "I'm..."

"He's **_NOT_** whipped!" Chloe yelled at the players; nothing riled her up more than people picking on Clark. She could do it, no one else.

"Maybe I should get Chloe on the team," Whitney said with a smirk. "She's got spunk."

Clark nailed the catapult and the block hit the ring. Chloe, Pete and Erica cheered. Whitney did the same thing with Lana and the jocks hooting and hollering and the two contestants went back and forth, dueling with the sledgehammers, pelting the metal piece of the catapult with the iron wrought heads of the hammers, making the woodblock clang against the bell.

"Getting tired?" Chloe yelled when Whitney grunted loudly, hitting the catapult for the 14th time. He took a breath of relief at the ring of the bell; his arms were starting to burn.

"No!" He snapped. He took off his letterman's jacket and tossed to Brian "Fubar" Barr, who played the center position on the team. Whitney pulled at his sweaty shirt. Clark realized that maybe he should take off his jacket too. He slipped off his new jacket, and his shirt was like a second skin covering his muscles. He wished he was sweaty, but he was dry as a bone.

"I will never complain about him doing his chores again," Chloe said aloud to the girls around her, "if that is the end result."

"I never knew Clark was built like that," Shania gasped.

"No arguments about that," Dolly whispered.

"Wow," Lana said, and Chloe looked at her. Lana knew that possessive look. "Get his jacket," She said to distract her. Chloe scampered over, took Clark's jacket and came back smiling to the girls. Lana was happy that Chloe was soothed by an article of Clark's clothing.

"Getting a little tired there, Clark?" Whitney asked. Both the team's wide receiver and tight-end massaged his arms.

"No," Clark said and aimed at his target. "I can do this...," he smashed the hammer's head into the catapult and watched the block ring the bell again. "...all night!"

"Lucky!" Lana whispered and elbowed Chloe. "Stamina like that will come in handy."

"Huh?" Chloe said, unsure what Lana meant so Lana whispered her meaning to her. "Oh...thanks," was all Chloe could say and blushed, thinking about her and Clark. She smiled wider when the other girls congratulated her, too.

Clark and Whitney went back and forth, trading successful swings, but after the 22nd swing, Whitney started to struggle. He wasn't swinging the hammer fast or lifting it high like he was earlier in the competition. Clark knew it was a matter of time before Whitney would tire and stop. 'Fubar' started to wipe the sweat from Whitney's brow but was slapped way. The QB was mad that the freshman punk was still in the game, and maybe pulling ahead. He looked at Lana and her eyes bore down on him, nervous and afraid. Whitney walked to catapult and looked at his teammates. Their shouts and whoops steadily declined along with their leader's performance in the competition.

"C'mon guys," Whitney implored. "Have I ever let you down?" The guys shook their heads in unison. "Who's the man?"

"CLARK!" Chloe screamed before any of the team could muster a believable word and Whitney was shocked that some in the crowed cheered for the freshman than him. "HE'S ALL MAN!" The object of her affection smiled at Whitney. The star football player looked at his girlfriend, and she just gave him the thumbs up sign. Whitney groaned and dropped the hammerhead. The crowd "ooh'ed" and "ahh'ed" watching the block go up the backing board slowly and barely hit the bell.

Clark had been using his right arm to swing the sledgehammer, but he switched arms. "This one is a bit tired," he said to Whitney. The QB rubbed his own burning arms and chest. Then Clark lifted the hammer.

"Oh! Keep going, _baby_!" Chloe said. "He's bushed!"

"_Baby_?" Clark looked at her with the sledgehammer high above his head. Chloe nodded. Clark smiled and hit the catapult hard, slamming the block against the bell, causing a resounding **CLANK**. Clark looked at his faltering competition. "You're up." Again, Whitney barely hit the bell. He turned and saw his supporters dwindling, and Clark's group growing larger.

"I guess it's my turn," Clark said and spun the hammer's long handle in his hands.

"Whoo! Yeah! Go, Clark!" Chloe screamed out and Clark nailed the catapult easily. He didn't hesitate or dawdle like the QB, trying to get that extra few seconds of rest; he didn't need it. '"You're up Superstar!" Chloe screamed to Whitney, not at all derisive.

tink.

That was the sound the bell made when Whitney scraped it with the block. He was sweaty, haggard, and not at all pleased that some of his teammates left to go have fun at the carnival. Clark walked softly and carried a big stick to the front of the backer board and stood before the catapult.

"Clark Kent! Come on!" Chloe yelled out; her reporter's instincts ablaze. She knew that the end was here and wanted Clark to crush his...their bully. "Give me a** K**! Give me an** E**! Give me an **N**! Give me a **T**!" Clark loved his own personal cheers and the girl that screamed them out so lustily. Clark swung the hammer and made the sound that Whitney hated more than anything in the world:

**CLANK**.

"You're up," Clark smiled.

"I know," Whitney said tiredly. "I know."

He dragged the sledgehammer to where Clark was standing. He looked at the catapult, the wooden block. His eyes traveled up the backer board to the bell. It seemed so high now. He hefted the hammer up...but it dropped.

"Finish it." He looked at Clark and whispered in defeat.

"One for me!" Clark yelled happily, and rang the bell. The block barely settled when he swung again when he shot it back up and slammed it into the bell. "And one for Chloe!"

Erica held the huge teddy bear for Chloe and watched the blonde run up and hug Clar. Chloe was so proud of him, so happy that he squashed their bully. 'Triumph never felt better,' she thought. 'Or so dry.'

"You didn't even break a sweat!" Chloe said, a little amazed. She tried to remember when he did break a sweat, and honestly couldn't come up with one instance.

"Umm...it's a cold night," Clark said nervously, and compounded his lame excuse. "I paced myself ."

"I wanna pick up the pace," Chloe whispered, grabbed his shirt, licked and puckered her lips...

"Impressive display, Clark," Victoria Hardwick said, her British accent washing over Chloe and Clark. She and Lex Luthor stood uncomfortably close. "Bloody good show."

"I told you," Lex said. He smiled at the young couple. "He seems to have no end to his show-stopping abilities."

"I don't **FREAKING** believe it," Chloe seethed when she and Clark pulled away. She stared at Lex and his date. "We're always getting interrupted!"

"It's the full moon I think," Clark whispered and Lex smiled at him. "Weirdness."

"I know _weirdness_," Chloe fussed. "This is an all-time high, even for Smallville."

"Oh," Victoria said, noticing the closeness of the two teens. "Did we interrupt something?"

"Just my kiss!" Chloe stomped. "We're always getting interrupted!"

"Well then," Victoria smiled at the pouting girl, "carry on."

Victoria and Lex just stood there and waited to see the couple kiss. Clark looked at Chloe and she smiled. But, they both looked over at the same time and saw Lex and Victoria's smiling faces. Pete and Erica stood by, too, but they knew better to look at Clark and Chloe so obviously.

"The mood is gone," Chloe said with a whimper and slid away from Clark; it was one thing to kiss in front of people to Chloe, another to be ogled. They broke apart from each other's embrace. Still holding the huge bear, Erica elbowed Pete.

"Hey, Chloe," Pete said, looking at his disappointed friend. "Erica and I will take your bear, and put it in her car. That way you two can enjoy yourselves without lugging it around."

"Thanks Pete," Chloe said. "Thanks Erica. Take care of Clarkie."

"Clarkie?" Everyone said.

"The bear," Chloe blushed. "That's his name." Pete hit Clark's shoulder and he and Erica left. Lex walked up to Clark, while Victoria pulled Chloe aside.

"Tell me you kissed her earlier?" Lex said with a slight grin.

"You sorta blew the moment," Clark said and crushed a foam cup with his boot.

"I am honestly sorry, Clark," Lex said and patted him on the back tenderly. "Victoria thought you had already kissed her." Clark shook his head so hard." Well, just take Chloe over to the ferris wheel. When it reaches the top...kiss her."

"Ok, I'll do that," Clark said. "Thanks Lex."

"Just good advice," Lex smiled. "The kind I'd give a younger brother, if I had one."

"I found the money...," Clark said softly.

"Just have fun, Clark," Lex said. "Show Chloe a good time." He spun around, letting his black leather trench coat twirl and walked to Victoria. Clark wished he could be selfless and good of heart like Lex was when he got older.

"So you're Clark's girlfriend," Victoria said, offering her hand. "Chloe, isn't it?"

"Yes...Chloe Sullivan," she said sheepishly; beautiful women always intimidated her. Chloe shook the British woman's delicate hand. "You are?"

"Victoria Hardwick," She said, enunciating her last name perfectly. "I'm Lex's...date." Chloe noticed the hesitation, but didn't press. They both looked at their escorts. "Clark's a very lucky boy to snag a girl as beautiful as you."

"Really?" Chloe beamed. First Lana validated her couple status with Clark and now Victoria validated her looks. She was ecstatic. "Thanks!"

"Of course," Victoria said. "My advice is just snog him." Chloe translated that in her head to 'kiss him' and nodded. Victoria pulled out her business card and a pen. She scribbled her private number on the card and gave it to Chloe. "Any friend of Clark's is a friend of mine. Call me tomorrow."

"Ok," Chloe agreed. She pocketed the card; she was extremely happy to have made another friend, and an unlikely one at that.

"Victoria," Lex said, wrapped his arm around her waist. "Let's leave these two lovebirds alone."

"Ok," she said. She gave Clark a quick hug. "Clark, you be a good bloke and treat Chloe well tonight." He nodded. She and Lex walked away, toward 'Super Space Pods', the silver shaped rocket ship ride; Clark saw the ride with Chloe when they walked around and had an odd sense of deja vu.

"Let's go ride the ferris wheel," Clark suggested. He pretended to shiver and slipped back on his jacket. "It will be just us...I promise."

"I'd go _anywhere_ with you, Clark..." Chloe said. He took her hand and they walked to the ride. Both waiting to kiss each other at the top of the ride.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Chapter Twenty-Three**_

It took 6 and a half pitchers of Guinness Malt Beer and several filled-to-the-rim high-ball glasses of Jim Beam whiskey to mellow Beppo enough to finally allow Joe Young to get the animal into the cute tuxedo that the ape wore to the shows. Joe was a little concerned about the amount of alcohol, but he was far happier to just get the show done for the night, get the weekend's shows done, and leave Smallville; ever since the interview, with the high school's paper, no less, Beppo was acting bizarre. Joe hoped that getting the animal on schedule, back on the stage, would help calm him and the primate. Beppo, usually resplendent in the miniature Armani suit, tailored just right, was now more muscular, and the suit didn't fit properly.

"I have no idea what's up, Beps," Joe said, realizing for the first time the anatomical changes in his friend. "I hope you don't rip the suit." Beppo nodded and swayed drunkenly while Joe placed the satin top hat atop the ape's balding dome. Setting down the matching dapper cane, Joe tugged on the tuxedo's lapels, stepped back, and saw that the red bow tie under Beppo's chin was crooked. "Here," Joe said, "let's straighten this out."

From an open window, an outdoorsy scent sneaked in, a scent of barns and hay, mixed with some type of spice, a scent that Beppo sniffed in the air. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply when Joe began to adjust the collar. The air particles rushed into Beppo's nose and triggered his memory, causing him to remember someone who had that particular scent: someone tall that walked away with a blonde, a girl that Beppo felt was his prize. The primate breathed out, his eyelids opened slowly. While Beppo's eyes were dull, the irises had a bright lime green glow to them. The scent brought up the memory of The Tall One, and Beppo knew if The Tall One was close, so was The Blonde. The more he thought of The Tall One and The Blonde, the brighter his eyes glowed. And stronger his hated burned, and more fierce his need to want his prize.

**"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON GOW AHHHHHHHHHH!"** Beppo screamed. He slammed his chest with his fists; the sound was like iron slamming against steel.

"OH NO!" Joe yelled; primal blast sent him scrambling back. He was first worried that Beppo was in a mood. Then he saw the verdant glow emitting from Beppo's eyes. "OH _(Expletive Censored)_!"

There was a time, not so long ago, like the Wednesday of that week, when Beppo and Joe were the best of friends; Joe took Beppo out in every town they visited: to museums, movie theaters, operas, plays, theme parks, fine restaurants, aquariums, and even zoos. Because of that, Beppo felt a love toward the man, a special bond. They were drinking buddies, for goodness' sake, spending many a dark hour AM in a local bar, pub, juke joint, drinking free beers (thanks to Beppo's popularity) and getting hugs from boozed up women. The love Beppo felt for Joe completely dissipated when the animal reached for his cane. The long slender ebony cane still had a weight to it because of the polished onyx. It had an odd silver bat-wing grip; it was a gift from a young teenaged millionaire in Gotham who watched a performance and told the media present that Beppo was "the sensational character find of 2000!"

Joe watched ...the thing; thats all that Joe could think of his drinking partner now, the thing before him with the glowing green eyes, the thing that gripped the cane and whacked the silver head into its thickly calloused palm. Beppo was no longer the cute monkey wearing a cute tuxedo. No, Beppo now was a sick parody, a chilling, hulking menace: the top hat was crooked, the bowtie askew, and after Beppo hit the lamp in the room and darkening it, his glowing eyes lit his grin, no longer a grin that made kids in hospital wards smile; it was a homicidal maniac's grin. An evil grin lit by meteor-lite.

Human instinct has a 'fight or flight' mechanism, and the mechanism whispered to Joe run this time. Joe ran into his bedroom and reached under his pillow. All the thing's recent abhorrent behavior flooded into Joe's mind, and he knew by the way Beppo held the cane, he had to act. He felt for and pulled out what he kept just in case, just for what he never thought could ever happen until the circus and carnival arrived in Smallville. This was a just-in-case moment. Joe pulled out a tranquilizer-handgun, specifically designed to fire up to 11 hypodermic darts by means of compressed CO2 cartridges.

Unfortunately, just when Joe slid his index finger through the trigger-guard and curled against the trigger itself, a silver wing hacked into his shoulder, into the thick deltoid muscle, severing ligaments to his bicep, making his arm drop, making thick crimson blood splatter onto white sheets. Joe screamed once. Just once because Beppo ripped out the wing, swung the cane, and lodged the wing into his former friend's temple. A twist of his wrist made the wing carve deeper into Joe's brain. The wicked smile on Beppo's lips disappeared, and the monster watched Joe slump and fall to the carpet. The monster dug out the wing and blood spewed in an arc onto the killer's pants.

Beppo didn't care about that blood; he was fascinated at the dark thick crimson of that poured from the gaping hole. at the unblinking eyes, at the stillness of the body. He envisioned The Tall One's face, bloodied and mutilated, The Tall One's body unmoving, and The Blonde hugging him. Beppo looked down at the body, looked at his...at his...his meteor-laced mind was clouded only with two thoughts: claim The Blonde One and kill The Tall One; nothing mattered to him. Not even good friends.

The scent spurred Beppo on. His feet left bloody prints in The Dead Nice Man's room. The monster pushed on the windowpane and the glass popped off and shattered on the ground. The sound of the glass breaking into thousands of shards was overwhelmed by the laughs and talk of the carnival-goers. Beppo hopped, swung his body through the open window, and pulled himself to the motor-home's roof. He figured that he could track down the scent easier if he didn't get mobbed by the guests at the carnival. But he grabbed his head; the sights, the sounds, and the smells bombarding him, flooding his senses, disorienting him. Beppo staggered to his knees and curled up. Suddenly the scent was powerful, strong and ever so close. The monster shot his head up, and looked toward the ferris wheel.

Despite the pain of his senses being assaulted, Beppo followed the scent of The Tall One, scrambled between both the circus entertainers' and the carnival workers' trailers, dodged people, and lurked in the darkness. Every breath he took brought his bloody, dirty feet closer to his prey and stopped just a few rides from the ferris wheel. Then he squinted at a tall figure standing with a short-haired blonde girl under the bright rainbow colors of bulbs. The monster rubbed his sensitive eyes; the glare was almost too much, really. The meteorite somehow augmented Beppo to the Nth degree, but his fragmented mind tried hard to keep pace with his body's new enhancements. Colors and smells and sounds swirled, like the broken pieces of his mind. Two things were keeping him together: Kill The Tall One, Claim The Blonde.

In the darkness, the monster's hand clutched a rock. Beppo lobbed the rock and pelted the drink that the boy had in his hand. The girl with him shrieked when the drink spilled on her. The boy looked around, looked to see if jocks were trying to ruin their night, again. Beppo shook his head, the pain intense but grabbed another rocks, threw them and purposely hit the ground at the boy's boots. The Tall One looked over where Beppo was standing.

Beppo nodded his head wildly watching The Tall One walk toward him. The monster rolled a rock and crept backward, doing it again, making sure The Tall One kept following his lures, kept walking into his trap. It was easier on Beppo's eyes to stare at the dark ground rather than the anything the light shone upon, so he grinned when he saw a left-over piece of metal piping laying on the dirt. He wished he had his cane, but the pipe would do: he crushed the end of the pipe with his cherished, new found strength and created a point at the tip. The Tall One walked into the darkness, away from the bright lights and big fun, away from his date. He was not afraid of the dark at all; he never was. He should have been.

The muscles in his legs, the powerfully thick quadriceps and the hamstrings, and the fat horseshoe shaped calves, propelled Beppo into the air. He flipped, and landed softly on his footpads, landed behind The Tall One. The young boy's eyes went wide when he felt Beppo's leathery calloused palm cover his mouth. The Tall One gripped the tuxedo sleeve, and started to pull. Then, the grip of his left hand went limp a second after the monster stabbed the point of the pipe into the toned inraspinatus and subscapularis muscles that covered the shoulder blade, the rhomboids under it, piercing through the bone, cracking it, breaking the fourth posterior rib and sent the tip into the rapidly beating heart. Beppo nodded crazily, feeling the boy's hot breath rush against his palm. The monster thrust the tip in further and heard the infernal beat of The Tall One's heart sporadically thump. The pipe churned in the calloused hand, the boy twitched and spasmed, and Beppo waited to hear...silence; The Tall One's heart stopped. With the front of the tuxedo's jacket and what was once a crisp white shirt soaked with blood of two men, Beppo shoved down the limp lifeless body. It was easy to kill The Tall One, like it was easy to defeat him at chess. The monster plucked out the pipe, and wiped of the bone fragments and muscle remnants from the pipe's shaft.

"The boogyman is in there, not stupid jocks..."

Beppo stood up straight and listened. The voice of the short haired blonde was more softer than what entranced him.

"Jake!...C'mon! I wanna ride the ferris wheel..."

Jake was not The Dead Tall One's name...it was Clark. The monster kicked the boy over onto his back, and and his anger flamed: the lifeless body at his feet wasn't The Tall One but it had the enemy's height, build and scent. And the name that belonged to the body wasn't Clark Kent, but to Jacob Whiteflag, a nephew of Joseph Willowbrook, Chief of the local Kawatchee tribe.

Beppo turned at The Blonde, the wrong blonde, Libby Prince, took too many steps into the dark. The pipe's metal caught a flicker of light when the hardness penetrated soft flesh. There was a muffled cry. And Libby never stepped out of the dark, and Beppo scurried away in the dark, hunting for the real Tall One, the real Blonde.

"Why isn't that considered child-endangerment?" Chloe asked Clark, and pointed at the poster of The Flying Graysons. Beneath the picture of John and Mary, the married acrobatic couple, were a series of stop-motion images of their son, Richard, a five-year old boy, swinging from one trapeze to another, doing a tumble in between the handholds.

"I don't think so," Clark said. "I mean, along with being daredevils, the Graysons are known for their safety measures."

"Yeah," Chloe nodded. "It's silly to think that something bad could happen to him."

They walked along to the ferris wheel, too entranced with each other, not noticing the added graphic that the Graysons had started to perform without a net. When they arrived at the ferris wheel, the squeezed each other's hands: their destination was tall, brightly lit, and had an unusual aquatic motif. Unlike the year before's theme of outer space and being called "Starro", this year the wheel was called "Poseidon's Tridents." The spokes of the wheel were covered with a teal and moss colored trident fork, the three prongs along the side of the cabin seats.

"I thought Poseidon had a beard and was old," Chloe said stepping into line. Wearing a orange tunic and green pants and boots, a carny in his twenties portrayed 'Poseidon' and greeted the riders. He was clean shaved, short of hair, and blonde. Chloe thought he was too slack-jawed to be the 'King of the Sea'.

"Well, he should be," Clark laughed.

"Maybe a hook for a hand, or something," she giggled. She turned and saw him look her up and down. He never did that, or she never caught him do that; she gulped.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Clark said, enraptured.

"Yeah," Chloe smiled. Then she snarked with a wiggle of her head, "but frequent reminders are always appreciated."

"You look INCREDIBLY beautiful," Clark whispered softly, breathing out when he said 'beautiful'.

"Oh." Chloe blushed red. "That kinda talk will get you anything..."

"Let's get you onto the ferris wheel first," Clark smiled.

"Ok," Chloe said with a knowing smile that suddenly turned into a frown when she saw the foam cup flip and the contents spill on the pants of girl ahead of them in line for the ferris wheel.

"I know that feeling," Chloe said sadly. Clark hugged her and they watched a teen that was with the girl walk into the shadows. The line moved up; the riders exchanged spots with passengers getting off the ride and Chloe thought it was odd that the boy didn't come back. She was going to mention it to Clark when she saw the girl saunter off to the darkened area. Immediately she thought of the 'Lana Rules' and and wondered if the girl was enforcing one of them

"That Victoria looked really beautiful..." Chloe said while the ride attendant ushered them to an empty cabin on the ferris wheel.

"Really?" Clark wondered truthfully when the ride's engines restarted and the cabin moved forward, allowing on the next group of passengers. "I guess I got wrapped up in thinking of you to notice."

"Oh...wow," Chloe said softly and snuggled into Clark. He wrapped around his arm on her shoulder. They sat silently, waiting for the ride to actually start, waiting to kiss. They both knew it and they pressed their sides into each other. They were alone, they were in love, and while the music chimed, they waited for just the right time. Their cabin rotated around, and finally rotated to the top. Clouds in the sky parted and Chloe and Clark's cabin was basked with the full moon-light.

"It's just so beautiful," Chloe whispered while they looked at the moon.

"You look more beautiful," Clark whispered, who like Aristotle, understood that the light coming from the moon was reflected light. He turned and saw Chloe's features in that reflective glow: her ringlets, her triangularly-placed moles, her green eyes, her lush lips. Yes, he loved her.

"Oh wow," She said again, her mental thesaurus stuck on 'Clark-related words and phrases'.

"Wow," Clark whispered. Chloe shifted in her seat and leaned her chest in first, pinning him against the seat and her body. She licked and bit her bottom lip and nodded. Everything was right. So right. Too right...

Instead of enjoying a blood-boiling kiss, Chloe and Clark suffered through several blood-curdling screams. "What the heck is going on NOW?" Chloe asked, her mouth inches away from her target. But Chloe pulled away, her investigator's instincts overriding her teen desires. Clark sat up and they, like others on the ride, leaned out the cabin to see what caused the screams. They watched carnival-goers, once happy and carefree, running to and away from where Chloe saw the two teens that were ahead of them in line went to earlier.

"Whatever it is," Clark said after he used his vision powers and spotted the dead kids. "Its serious."

"We seriously need to get off," Chloe said, and shook the guardrail. The latch was securely locked. The cabin got close to the bottom. "If it's serious, you _need_ to...to...to_ help _somehow," she said, cryptically. "And _we're_ reporters...its our job to cover events. Even when the timing sucks."

"Business before pleasure?" Clark wondered.

"It pains me to say it, but yes," Chloe sighed. "And this better be the last time tonight!" she screamed and shook her fist to the night sky.

Clark noted her fist was aimed at the constellation Aquarius, and thought the Water Bearer was dousing them with many a frustration. When the cabin reached the bottom, Clark easily popped the latch with a gentle push on the guardrail. Chloe jumped off first, and thought to ask Clark how he did that later. Clark himself hopped off, lifted Chloe at her hips and swung her bottom away from the still moving cabin and spokes. Chloe decided that wasn't really a 'save' per se; she was used to him saving her butt .

"Hey!" The ride attendant screamed. "You can't do that!"

"We're with the newspaper..." Chloe screamed back, holding Clark's hand whiel they ran to the mob gathering by the dead bodies, "we can!"

"Stupid reporters," The ride attendant whispered and went back to his mindnumbing job.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Chapter Twenty-Four**_

Where there was once laughter and frolic in the corner lot of the Grayson Carnival and Circus, there was now girls crying and guys hugging them. Two of their own, two teens, were slain, brutally, swiftly, silently. Teens and adults, now, were clustering together where the bodies were found. Brian 'Fubar' Barr, the brawny six foot four inch, 265 pound center on the football team, passed out when he discovered he was standing in the pool of blood. The bodies were lit by novelty flashlights, ironically cast to look like Beppo, held by the carnival-goers. 911 was called. Teena Yount, in the Smallville Police Department, sent the emergency dispatch to Sheriff Ethan. He cursed and wished the town could have one damned night of joy, not sorrow.

Rumors were spreading through the cluster: The teens were killed by a knife-wielding maniac, by one of the circus freaks, a break up gone horribly bad; anything could happen is Smallville, good or bad.

"Maybe it was The Chupacabra?" Dolly whispered to her boyfriend, DJ. He held her close. Chloe rolled her eyes when she heard that and other more outlandish scenarios while she shoved her way to the front of the gathering; Clark did the apologies to the people shoved aside when he followed her.

"Pete! Whats the deal?" Chloe said to her friend, the only one other person she felt she could get the truth from other than Clark. Her tummy flip-flopped when she saw the black pool. She just couldn't believe she seen so much bloodshed in her young life. "Tell me what you know."

"I'll give you the short story: Jake and Libby dead..." Pete said. Erica cried and hugged him and Clarkie, Chloe's huge teddy bear.

"Killed," Erica blubbered; she had several classes with Jacob and Libby.

"We just got here," he whispered in deference to Erica. "We were going to put the bear in her car when we heard the screams...figured we'd see you two finding out what's up." Erica nodded.

"Hey," Lana said softly, walking up, shocked, tears in her eyes, some already trickling down her cheeks; Libby was a friend, not plastic-y like Lana's other friends. "Why Libby? Why Jake?" She said, voice breaking. Whitney hugged her, and they stood by Erica, Pete, Chloe and Clark.

"We should look for anything unusual," Chloe said, looking at Clark. "Whatever happened to Jake and Libby could happen again."

"I agree," Clark said. He used his vision powers again. "We have to be careful...Whoever or whatever killed them was strong enough to shatter bone."

"How do you know?" Chloe said, surprised. She leaned back and gave Clark a suspicious look, a sideways glance, nose tilted high.

"Umm...lucky guess?" Clark said. Chloe noticed again when how uncomfortable he got when she asked how HIS hunches came about. He looked at Pete and silently asked for a lifeline.

"We got to split up," Pete said, looking at Clark; he always had his friend's back, ever since kindergarten. "We can cover more ground that way."

"Yeah," Clark said and Chloe nodded. "It's Me and Whitney," He said making the 'teams' and looked at Chloe. "You, Pete, Lana and Erica."

"Gotcha," Chloe said and checked to see if her cell phone's batteries were fresh; they were. She realized Clark didn't bring his phone; she promised herself to chastise him later. Pete rolled his neck, easing some of the tension out. He was ready for action. Chloe and Pete stepped forward, looked at Clark and waited for him to give the word to spread out.

"I should stay here," Lana said, wiping her eyes. "Co-ordinate everyone one's moves like a command post."

"I'm with Lana," Erica whispered. "Seeing dead bodies for the first time was one thing. Finding the killer is another." Clark nodded at the two girls now huddling together, and Chloe fought the urge to call them sissies.

"When did you suddenly...," Whitney started to snap, looking at Clark. He was surprised how 'meek and mild-mannered' Clark Kent stepped up and assigned teams, and how Chloe and Pete were ready to follow his every word. It was HIS job to be the quarterback, to lead the team.

"Me, Clark and Pete done this before," Chloe interrupted. "This isn't the football field. This is real life."

"Are you in or out?" Clark asked Whitney simply.

"In." Whitney swallowed his pride.

"Then you're with me," Clark said and his older classmate nodded. Pete whispered softly into Erica's ear, and they hugged. So did Whitney and Lana.

"Chloe," Clark said and squeezed her hands gently. "If anything happens...Just call my name."

"Ok, Mr. Super-Confident," She laughed. She hoped for him to say something romantic, not something boastful. Then she thought, 'Is it really boasting if you can back it up?' Then she wondered if she should go to school Satyrday to file the stories and maybe set the templates. She reminded herself to see who got pictures of the crime scene. Then she thought she could write one especially for The Smallville Ledger...

"Chloe..." Clark said softly at his girlfriend. He held her shoulders. He knew that her mind's synapses were firing at full blast. "Chloe."

"Huh?" Chloe whispered, brought back by the sound of his voice, brought back by the seriousness in his eyes. She wondered for a second how he was going to get that call, but knew that he would; he always did get her calls. "Ok Clark I will."

Whitney checked his cell phone at Chloe's insistence. Then she took the phone from him and checked for herself. "I'm satisfied,' she said to the jock. "Everyone check in with Lana every 15 minutes," Chloe said and they started to walk off. "Give your exact location."

"Yeah, check in and tell me where you are at," Lana echoed; she was excited now, excited to do more than listen to Clark, Pete and Chloe tell her their exploits and adventures while she served them drinks and pastries at the Talon.

Clark decided that he and Whitney would go to the far end of the fairgrounds to see what they could find and suggested to Pete and Chloe that they track down clues starting at what Chloe already termed 'Ground Zero', the kill site. Lana and Erica nodded when Chloe told them to set up 'Command Base One' (Lana's code name for her and Erica's team) at the attraction most centered in the fairgrounds, the 'Metamorpho Maze', a hedge maze whose paths were constantly changing every hour by the carny staff.

In the distance, shielding his eyes, Beppo watched the group. And when he saw The Tall One and The Blonde, the real ones this time, go in different directions, he nodded crazily and jumped up and down, denting the trailer roof that he was on. He watched the girl and her new escort first talk to people at the killing zone and, after a while walk, behind the ferris wheel. He jumped down onto another dead teen that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Beppo, soaked in blood, drenched in hatred, saturated in his desire for the Blonde, waited for his prize to come to him.

It wasn't unusual for Pete and Chloe to snoop for clues together. In fact, they secretly liked each other's company while they poked around for clues: with Clark not around, Chloe could actually concentrate and Pete could be more useful than just taking pictures for the paper, and definately so something more confidence building than fumbling the football. They tried innocently asking whether or not anyone one seen anything peculiar, not wanting to arouse panic in those that were still having fun. Chloe used the cover of asking questions for the school paper, like Pete.

"Like taking candy from a baby," Chloe whispered to Pete after she casually snitched a Beppo flashlight from an infant in a stroller while Pete talked to the parents. She handed it to him.

"This is a cheesy flashlight, not candy," Pete pointed out.

"Ahh HA!" Chloe laughed and whipped out a Clark bar. "**_But this is!_**"

"Please tell me you didn't make the adage true, Chloe," Pete whispered and they walked further along. Behind them, the baby in the stroller was starting to wail. He shook his head. 'Snitchy Chloe strikes again,' he thought.

"That rugrat was just going to waste it," She giggled and tore into the wrapper. "Only I may savor the goodness that is _Clark_." Pete laughed at her Freudian slip. "I mean, this Clark _bar_."

"Yeah, right...you meant the candy," Pete nodded and whispered to her. Chloe laughed and punched Pete playfully on the shoulder. "So has Candy Boy kissed you?" Pete asked.

"Why is everyone so interested?" Chloe shot back. "It's_ not _like mandatory! It's_ not _the end all or be all for us going out! It's _not_ imperative to my happiness. It's not..."

"I take it that he hasn't?" Pete interrupted.

"**_No_**," She frowned and shocked Pete by wolfing down the candy in three bites. "Not yet."

"Why don't you lay the lip smack down...again," Pete said, softly.

"Again?" Chloe stopped; she didn't tell Pete of her kissing Clark in the barn, either. "Umm...I swear I was going to tell you.."

"It's cool, Chloe," Pete smiled. "But it has been a year. I just don't wanna find out in passing. We're all best friends, right?"

"Right." Chloe turned and gave Pete a hug. They broke apart. "No more secrets between us." Chloe saw a familiar figure in the moonlight, swaying. "Look," She said and Pete shined the flashlight to where she pointed.

"Oh, Hi Beppo!" Chloe smiled when she saw the cute monkey. "Whatcha doing out?"

"Nice duds," Pete said. The flashlight's beam traveled down the monkey in his dapper tuxedo and Chloe loved how the top hat was jauntily placed at his head. Pete smiled at the sound of Chloe's cutesy voice. Pete noticed an oddly colored mess on Beppo's clothes. Chloe skipped happily toward the animal. Pete flicked the beam downward. He saw first what Chloe didn't: the dead body at Beppo's feet.

"**CHLOE! RUN!**" Pete screamed, dropping the flashlight.

But it was too late.

_Tumbling down..._

_The flashlight went tumbling down and when it hit the dirt, the lens broke and the bulb inside shattered. Suddenly, the surrounding area was pitch black._

Smiling happy at Beppo, the creature that she was excited to see, who she thought was cool, Chloe was in mid-skip when she began to react to Pete's scream, turning, twisting to see her friend, to see why, to see what made him scream her name. Her precious boots, her size 6 and a half Doc Martens, thick waffle soled, scuffs and worn leather shined a glossy black for her much anticipated date with Clark, splashed down in the pool of blood. She gasped when slid on the slippery stones. Both boots flew off the ground, the boot-heels over her head, and Chloe Sullivan went tumbling down...hard. She landed in a heap, in the lake of blood that used to flow in the body of the poor dead boy, Adam Naughtere; now the blood just flowed out of him. Chloe's elbow crashed down first and she yelped when the point cracked on the rocks. But the yell was short lived because the back of her neck and shoulder were the next to slam into the ground. A second later, there was a rough, wet impact on her back, an impact that jarred her ribcage. Chloe lost her breath and she squirmed and her clothes, her jacket, black canvas dress, her burgundy top, the white tank top, once clean, once pretty, was now bloody, ugly and dirty. Dizzy, she looked at what was sticky on her small hand; her palm, each slender finger was soaked. It was too dark to see, but she knew from experience, sadly, that it was blood. A drip of the boy's blood dropped on her chin. Her green eyes went wide and she whimpered, or tried to whimper; she fought to regain her breath. Still, somehow, she valiantly made a sound...

"Clark..."

But it wasn't loud enough.

_Tumbling down..._

_The flashlight went tumbling down and when it hit the dirt, the lens broke and the bulb shattered. Suddenly, the area was pitch black._

Pete started to rush forward, watching his friend Chloe skip toward Beppo, toward the dead body at the animal's feet. His fists were balled up, ready to fight, ready to protect his best friend from the monster. His face was scrunched up, lips pursed, eyes on Beppo and his friend. He knew she had a smile on her face hidden in the dark when she turned; thats what Pete liked about Chloe: she was always smiling. Then He saw Chloe crash to the ground. Pete's focus fell back on the animal; Pete thought the monster hit her. He was set to tackle Beppo when the monster crouched, jumped and...disappeared. Pete didn't know whether to look around for the killer monkey or tend to his friend while she yelped in pain.

Then Beppo landed back in front of him. Pete's eyes widened and he valiantly punched at the monster before him. He slammed his fist into the the monster top hat. The satin hat flew from Beppo's head; Beppo watched it fly and he was angered even more. He loved that hat, he really did. The monstrous monkey's paws reached to go around Pete's neck, ready to twist, ready to snap Pete's head clean off when Beppo heard his beloved whimper out The Tall One's name. The monster changed tactics. The right paw hacked down hard on Pete's neck. The impact didn't break anything, just compressed the muscles and the vital carotid artery; blood flow to the brain was stopped for the second that the impact lasted, but it was enough to make Pete black-out and his body went tumbling down. Pete Ross tried his best.

But it wasn't good enough.

_Tumbling down..._

_The flashlight went tumbling down and when it hit the dirt, the lens broke and the bulb shattered. Suddenly, the area was pitch black._

Beppo turned to his loved one, Chloe, who was still gasping for air in the dark. He surprisingly lifted her gently to her bloodstained boots. She hit the monster's arms, slamming her fists into his chest and face when he grabbed her by the jacket. The girl spun herself, trying to escape by yanking off her jacket, leaving it in the monkey's paws. But her moves were sluggish, and painful. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move her left arm, she couldn't run. And if she wasn't groggy with pain, she'd remember that her cell phone was in the jacket's pocket, the same jacket Beppo tossed aside.

Ironically, Chloe took in the much needed breath of air when her tummy slammed down when Beppo scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. With inhuman speed, before Chloe could yell for help, Beppo jumped, flying over the fence, out of the fairground lot, landing, running and jumping again, each time faster and higher and farther away from the lights, the laughter, the joy of the carnival. His momentum took Beppo and his heart's captive into the nearby forest. Beppo barely dodged tree trunks and limbs and branches after his legs coiled and propelled him forward. Chloe wasn't so lucky; Beppo didn't realize she was knocking against the very same limbs, branches, and trunks of the trees, scraping and cutting into the soft skin of her arms and legs, tearing her skirt and ripping her blouse. More tears ran down her face with each new abrasion; Chloe tried not to cry, but the pain of her skin snagging onto the bark's jagged edges and ripping off, the pain of her swollen, possibly broken elbow, and the shooting pains in her neck was too much. She cried, because that was all she was able to do in the monster's embrace.

**KROK**, Smallville's local radio station, pumped out an eclectic mix of music with the news, the weather and sports scores 24 hours a day, every day of the week and could be heard in Grandville in the South, Tabbiton in the West, and Kaitisnertown in the East thanks to the station's massive radio antenna tower. Located roughly a mile as the crow flies from the fairground, the tower provided a crystal clear reception to all ever since the tower was erected on a hill after the meteor shower, symbolizing Smallville's rise from the ashes. Listeners were treated to a line up of '**_The Steven and Shawn Super Show' _**in the early AM hours, **_'Becky Blye's Musical Drive-By's' _**radio show from noon to 4:00PM and the wildly popular **_'The Krazy Ride with Katie and Kali'_**, the afternoon dee-jay team, were on hand to get everyone home from school and work, each weekday, 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM night-time radio show,**_ 'Night Time is the Right Time with Daniel Mmm' _**was in full effect at the Carnival; Daniel's smooth baritone told the radio audience that "...There seems to be a slight disturbance going on, so stay tuned for more updates."

All of that didn't matter to Beppo; he stared into the distance and used his nascent 'x-ray' vision, looking throught the forest to a clearing. He spotted the flashing beacons on the top of the radio antenna tower and rushed out of the forest. Strategically, Beppo knew to take the metal high ground. The Tall One would come, eventually, for the Blonde, the monster thought. The hairy beast gripped tightly to Chloe, and crushed paw-holds into the girders while he scaled the tower. When the monster reached the top, he gently put Chloe down. Her skirt was ripped up to her hip, and her right leg, her shapely thigh and slender calf, was scraped and bleeding profusely. She wobbled, and fell back, on her butt. She turned and crawled, dragging her useless right leg, to the edge of the platform. Chloe's mind went to a bizarre place: her internal search engine, her brain trying to send useful information, facts and figures while the rest of her body screamed for Chloe to shut down, give in to the pain. Her brain supplied her with data, and it was not comforting: the platform she was crawled on was 275 feet off the ground. She crawled away from the edge, looked back at Beppo, and thought the creature wasn't so cool anymore and she was far from being excited by his presence. She slumped; she was a fighter, but the fight was over. Chloe turned her face away; she didn't want the monster to see the cold sweat of her fear, see the hot stream of her tears.

Whitney Fordman was not particularly happy to be teamed with the younger Clark Kent, especially after the 'Thor's Hammer' fiasco. But he understood where his own exploits on the gridiron were one thing, Clark's heroics off the football field were quite another matter. Whitney would listen nonchalantly to classmates while they talked about Clark's latest rescue or his latest adventure with Chloe Sullivan. Whitney was jealous; his moments of glory only happened in the Fall whereas Clark was seemingly saving people pretty much anytime. Clark had even saved his girlfriend, Lana Lang. It was ironic: Whitney wanted to be Smallville's hometown hero and Clark wanted to be Smallville High's hero quarterback.

"Hey...I won't even cop out by saying I wanted to save my throwing arm for the Homecoming Game," Whitney said out of nowhere. Previously, they had silently walked together. The only time they heard each other's voice was when they questioned carnival-goers. "I hate to say it but good job on kicking my butt."

"Anytime," Clark smiled and stopped in front of the 'Red Tornadoes Bumper Cars' attraction. "Speaking of time, you should check us in. Its been 15 minutes." Whitney gave him a fake smile while he typed in Lana's number on his cell phone; it wasn't over between him and Clark, not by a long shot.

"Hello Lana? It's me, babes..._Me_, Whitney, your boyfriend," The young man said into his phone with some exasperation. "I hate when you tease me like that. What? Ok...Ok...'Command Base One', this is 'Golden Arm' and 'Farm Boy' checking in at the bumper cars."

"Ask if Chloe checked in," Clark said, shaking his head again at the nicknames Lana gave them; Chloe was 'Pulitzer' and Pete was 'The Boss'. Whitney nodded to Clark and relayed the message.

"No." Whitney looked at Clark, the smile from saying 'Farm Boy' gone. "She hasn't. Neither has Pete." Clark instantly fretted; when Chloe made rules, she stuck by them: She said she'd call in first and the boys after.

"Ask where she last checked in." Clark was already moving, weaving through the still happy mass of humanity. Whitney jogged after him, telling him that Lana said Chloe and Pete last checked in at the ferris wheel. "Then that's where we're going! Tell Lana!"

Clark started to run fast; he wished to run at full speed, get to Chloe, to Pete in seconds. But he had to hold back, and let Whitney keep pace. Whitney yelled to Clark that the Sheriff and EMTs were on site and taking care of the bodies found by the ferris wheel. Clark nodded and just ran a bit faster: He didn't want the carnival to turn into a charnal house. People stepped out of the way when they saw Clark's and Whitney's arms and legs pumping vigorously. The two were covering ground, two finely tuned bodies, sprinting toward the brightly lit spinning wheel. Whitney snagged a flashlight from a teammate's girlfriend. She didn't protest: she had a huge crush on the quarterback. Whitney shined the light, but he didn't need to; Clark used his 'x-ray' vision. He spotted a body on the ground and wished, wished that it wasn't Pete or Chloe. The two young men stopped in front of Pete's prone body.

"OH MY GOD!" Whitney screamed. He had seen some bad injuries in his sports playing days, but never had he seen a dead body. Tonight he'd seen two of them. He didn't want to see anymore. "Is...is Pete dead?"

"Pete?" Clark whispered and crouched by his fallen friend. He felt for his friend's pulse on his neck. The pulse was slow, but steady. Clark scanned the unconscious teen's body. He saw no broken bones nor any bleeding. "He's ok, just knocked out."

"There's another body over there," Whitney said and flicked the light at the other body. "Oh man...that's a lot of blood..."

Clark left his friend and went to the next body. He was relieved that it wasn't Chloe. But the loss of an innocent life washed over him a second later. Clark scrunched his face when he saw the flies buzzing around, landing and wiggling into the open gash. "You better stay over there, Whitney. Adam's dead."

But his classmate was already at Clark's side, and when he shined the light on the gruesome gash and saw the flies already making a new home in Adam's ripped tissues, Whitney's stomach reeled and he turned from the grisly sight. He took only two steps before he threw up, vomiting on Chloe's jacket.

Clark watched his squimish classmate hurl, wincing at the lurching sounds and icky smell. Then he saw where the mess landed on. He went to Whitney.

"Don't tell anyone I wussed out," Whitney whispered, bent over, wiping his chin.

"I have more to worry about...like where is she?" Clark said, pulling the jacket from the awful debris. He stood still and focused his sight, sound, smell, touch and even taste senses for the first time on just one important person. "Where's Chloe?"

Chloe Sullivan was crying, shivering, and bleeding on the honeycomb-pressed metal flooring atop the radio antenna, 275 feet above the ground, staring at the monstrous monkey walking toward her. She curled up against the handrail's support beam, nowhere to run to, and nowhere to hide from the monster.

Beppo saw his beloved's reaction and looked at her quizzically. Then he noticed all the blood on her. He hunkered down at her boots and reached out to her wounded leg, to where there wasn't a scratch, a cut, a slash on her shinbone, on her thigh. He tenderly touched her on the inside of her knee; the rest of her leg was carnage. He didn't know his own strength anymore; his touch was rough and his fingernail inadvertently caused a new cut.

"No," Chloe whimpered and tried to bend her wounded knee, but the pain was too intense. She rubbed her shoulder and sobbed at the fresh, bright red blood she saw on her hand. Beppo understood that the blood was upsetting Chloe. The monster grabbed a flapping part of her dress and pulled it quickly. The monster ripped her long dress into a skimpy, jagged mini-skirt type thing and the action caused Chloe's frightened body to twirl in the air. She groaned when she landed on her butt again, banging her swollen elbow onto the platform.

Beppo tore the heavy black canvas material into two pieces and wiped the blood off Chloe's soft skin. The Kansas night air grew chillier and Chloe's skin, more exposed than ever, goose bumped and she shivered and whimpered; even the goose bumps on her skin were pain-causing. The monster saw her shake, took off his small tuxedo jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. The murderous monkey smiled and breathed in the soap, shampoo and conditioner she used, the light scent of her perfume, and the overwhelmingly sweet scent of her skin. He crouched next to her. It was intoxicating to Beppo; Chloe had an odd sense of deja vu. She thought of Clark.

"Th...Thanks," Chloe whispered to the beast between sobs. She tried to be civil. To be human. "That was nice of you."

Beppo stepped even closer to his love. He was deliriously happy to be alone with her. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight. He leaned in and caressed Chloe's cheek roughly. And smiled. A smile that Chloe recognized: it was lecherous in any species. Despite the sheer pain, despite the utter agony, the snark in Chloe's spirit reared its smart-ass head.

'No hot monkey love for you, freak,' Chloe immediately thought and snapped her legs together tightly. She looked at the faraway lights of the carnival and knew, absolutely knew he was looking for her. 'This better work,' Chloe thought, remembering his words. She took in a deep breath...

**"CCCCCCLLLLLaaaaaaaaaaaRRRRRRRRRRRRRK!"**

Beppo eyes flashed wide, his anger flashed hot, and his hand flashed out. The fingertips flicked against Chloe's forehead, and her consciousness was gone in a flash. Beppo didn't want her screaming Clark's name anymore. But she screamed it loud enough this time...

Far below, far away, Clark's body jolted. He heard Chloe's scream. He spun in his boots and looked into the forest. "Chloe."

"What?" Whitney asked, his stomach settling. "What's up man?"

"Listen...," Clark said to the older teen. Pete groaned and tried to roll on the ground. Whitney knelt by his teammate; Pete rubbed at the pain in his neck. Clark watched his friend's eyes roll in their sockets. "Call Lana... stay here with Pete!"

"Ok!" Whitney said. He took off his team letterman's jacket and bunched behind Pete's head. The star quarterback looked up to ask Clark what he was going to do now. But Clark was gone.


	25. Chapter 25

_**Chapter Twenty-Five**_

_**The Five Senses**_

The human body has receptors for the five senses, the sense of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Clark Kent's body was no different, despite having an alien physiology. For Clark, every sense was heightened beyond Earthly conventions, amplified far beyond mortal men:

_**The Sense of Sight**_

The darkness of the sky lightened for Clark Kent, his eyes soaked up the reflective light and spread it out, and he processed all the obstacles before him, and his reaction time was even faster than the speed he traveled, making it easy for him to dodge barriers. With his superhuman speed, Clark zig-zagged between the trees, cutting left, zipping right, tree-trunks a blur. He saw things on the sides of the trees when he sped by them, some large pieces that he recognized that were snippets of Chloe's outfit she wore that evening. It was the pieces, minute to the human eye, embedded under the crags of bark, that made him run faster: pieces of Chloe's skin. He could see droplets of the blood that leaked from the tissues, smeared on the trunks and branches. He couldn't see Chloe for the trees, so he used his special power: the forest became a myriad of oulined-shapes, the x-ray vision creating a clearer canvas, eyes surveying everything, everywhere, for Chloe Sullivan, the girl he liked, the girl he adored, the girl that he loved; his first love.

Clark could see anything. But he just wanted to see Chloe.

_**The Sense of Sound**_

As he ran, Clark listened. He listened for the voice, the one voice other than his parents, other than even his best friend Pete, that he listened to; the voice of Chloe Sullivan. She did more than just offer platitudes and advice to Clark like his parents and Pete. No. Chloe Sullivan, more often not, simply told him how things were, constantly reminding him that there was a bigger world, a meaner world, out there other than what was in the city limits of Smallville. She was Big City to his Small Ville, the Snark to his Ah Shucks. She was information, he was a blank slate. She talked, he listened. But there was silence from her now; a rarity. He silently begged for a scream, or a whisper, or something that he could hone in on. He listened. And heard her heartbeat: steady, constant, like her voice, a beacon.

His own heartbeat fell into time with her's, again.

_**The Sense of Smell**_

Sometimes, Clark wondered if sniffing Chloe was considered a sin. She's stand close (or sometimes she was across the classroom, or walking up the pathway to his barn, or...anywhere, really) and he'd sniff the air that radiated from her; her scent beyond that of usual descriptions or adjectives. To Clark, she smelled super. Like if she were around, Clark's nostrils flared and he breathed in, but this time he just breathed in the chilly night air. Cold enviroments always envigorated Clark, like the first rays of the morning sun. He could bury himself in the snow or sink to the bottom of Shuster Lake and the cold seemingly recharged him. But the Sun was starting to have that effect lately, too. He would stand in front of his bedroom window and soak in the Sun's rays, basking in them, absorbing that wonderous feeling. But tonight, the chilly night air that penetrated his olfactory system contained something than Chloe's signature scent. He smelled the unmistakable scent of Beppo The Missing Link. Clark remembered how the animal hugged Chloe, how the animal looked at her: like a predator to a prey...

_**The Sense of Touch**_

It was the first day of 8th grade when they met at school and Clark told Chloe about how he lived on a farm. An urban girl from Metropolis, farms were unknown to her so she invited herself over to his home and he gave her a tour, describing the many chores he had to do to help his parents keep the farm running. They walked into the barn and Chloe said his skin was smooth and soft, "like a baby's" and how she giggled when he blushed.

_Then she kissed him._

Solid steel. It was the closest comparison to Clark's body. It was, so far, unpenetrable. He'd never suffered a bruise, a gash, or even a gouge. Nothing. He could withstand pretty much any impact. But Chloe's kiss_ melted _him. He'd never been touched like that. He wanted to feel like that again, and again, and again.

He stopped when he saw the radio antenna, saw the huge spotlights lit bright, shining up to the heavens. He could see a lone figure, bobbing and swaying, hanging on the spire atop the tower. Beppo. And worse, the monkey glowed green; a sure sign to Clark that the monkey was affected by the meteors. Then he saw a figure laying on the platform. Chloe. Was she tired? passed out? waiting? He stepped onto the clearing, ready to race up the tower and save Chloe from Beppo.

_**The Sense of Taste**_

Clark Kent was susceptible to two things.

One was Chloe Sullivan; she had him wrapped around her lil' finger. It was a fact. Not that she abused that knowledge. _Much_. He fought her effect on him, wanting to be friends. But her smarts, smile, her charm, her looks, and her irrepressible snark won him over. She made him weak at the knees. And he liked it.

Halfway to the tower, Clark starting feeling sick, weak, and not so super. His powers and abilities wavered and faltered. His sprint slowed, his vision quivered, the sound of Chloe's heartbeat softened and disappeared. The sweet scent of Chloe's skin was overwhelmed by Beppo's stench of monkey, madness, and murder. Clark's reactions were slower; he saw a gopher hole but he tripped, his boot caught in the entryway. He crashed and winced at the pain from the impact. He rose slowly and knew what was wrong...by the horrible taste in his mouth. It meant one thing...

Meteors struck Lowell County eleven years prior; chunks of a planet. Chunks of, unbeknownst to Clark, what was left of his homeworld. Scattered hither and yon, over hill and dale, all over Smallville, were meteor fragments ranging from tiny shards to huge lumps. The field that the radio tower was built on had actually been cleared by the meteors by setting all the trees aflame. Deep underground was the first meteorite to hit, burrowed deep, dormant.

The other thing that Clark Kent was susceptible to was the meteorites.

He felt ill, and broke into a sweat; the only time he ever perspired was when he was around meteorites. He knew he needed to be at full strength; the eerie glow he saw from Beppo earlier could only be caused by one thing: meteorites. He had to deal with the monkey while in a weakened state.

For the first time, Clark tasted**_ fear_**.

While Clark was seemingly powered down, 275 above him on the tower, Beppo shrieked with anger, madness, and raw energy when he saw The Tall One run into the clearing. The monster climbed up and down the antenna spire, swinging from one crossbar to another, hyper and waving to The Tall One to join him atop the tower. Then Beppo saw his nemesis fall. Now, the monster saw, was the time to strike...

On his elbows and knees, Clark looked up and focused on Beppo's silhouette in the moonlight bouncing around. The teen felt weaker, but he didn't throw up; he just felt sluggish. Clark knew he couldn't fail; for if he failed, Chloe would be lost. His parents and his friends, that is what Clark truly possessed, and Chloe was his friend...his girlfriend. _I can't lose her_, he thought,_ I just can't_...

With amazing speed, the monster jumped through the air, landed on the platform, tumbled in a practiced roll and tore off a guardrail. He saw the jagged pointed edge and lunged, throwing the safety bar like a javelin, throwing it at Clark. This wasn't a chess move, a sliding of a pawn into a square, a test of defense. No, this was the kill-shot. The rail cut straight through the night sky, the aim true, its target: Clark's cranium.

Under normal circumstances, Clark would have gathered the information (Beppo threw something at me!), processed it (it's traveling really fast!) and acted (I have to catch it and toss it aside) but his reaction time was slower, thanks to the chunk of a meteor buried deep in the ground. But it wasn't normal circumstances: by the time Clark realized the rail was zooming at him, he barely had time to roll away. He gasped, watching the makeshift javalin penetrate and sink half its eight foot length into the ground. The precious seconds it took Clark to rise to his feet, another rail planted into the ground. Chloe's would-be hero was glad that the monkey's aim was just a hair off. His mind flashed: Beppo was the killer, having killed 3 teens already, and that made the monkey more dangerous than the bug boy, or the ice boy or the fiery tempered football coach. Not even Tina Greer, the girl that became Lana's clone, was this berserk. They weren't as strong or as fast. None were as homicidal as Beppo. None had Chloe in such danger before. With a grunt of resolve, Clark scrambled to his boots and ran to the tower, ran to stop the killer, ran to get Chloe.

Unhampered by any weaknesses, Beppo tore off all the guardrails on the platform and chucked every one at the Clark's scampering form. With each miss, the monster's throws grew more erratic, and his emotions more angry. The crazy monkey leapt, limbs akimbo, off the platform and downward, and he caught one of the support beams with his huge paw. He swung around the beam and looked down. He yipped in amazement; he saw Clark climbing up the tower, just like he had, incredibly fast, traveling up the angled girders. 'Was he special?' the monkey thought. 'Was The Tall One like me? Maybe that is why The Blonde is with him, not me...' And that thought alone, of The Blonde wanting The Tall One as her mate and not him, made the monsterous monkey to tug on one of the painted-white girders, shaking and rattling the antenna tower's structure, until he tore the girder off. He waited, beam in hand, on paw holding on, with his long toes providing extra balance.

Clark climbed up the side, handhold after handhold, actually sweating, actually calculating how much strength he lost..._was it 25? More? _Then he heard metal cracking apart and the girder he held seemed to loosen in its mountings. Clark looked up just in time to see Beppo shriek and smash the steel beam into the side of his skull.

The monster nodded gleefully and watched The Tall One's neck snap to the side, ear touch the shoulder, and his hands let go of the girder. Beppo whooped as enthusiastically as he had when he defeated The Tall One at chess when he saw the teen's body falling, tumbling, spiralling down to the ground. Beppo looked at the end of the beam; the steel was warped to fit along The Tall One's head. It was _satisfying_ to him. He dropped the beam and scurried up the tower after he heard the loud crunch of The Tall One's impact. That sound was also _satisfying_. Climbing over the side, the monster saw Chloe, splayed out, passed out, and suddenly seeing The Tall One fall and hearing him hit the ground was not as _satisfying _as what he had in mind for The Blonde.

Somehow, Clark kept conscious after the steel beam slammed around his head. And it was thinking of Chloe that pulled him out of the dizzy darkness his mind:

_Chloe once told Clark a story about her guardian angel while they waited for her father to pick her up after Clark again saved her life. She sat close to him on the steps in front of the high school, shivering being in the pool, swimming for her life, getting away from Sean Kelvin, who was trying to absorb the heat from the girl's body. She took a sip of coffee that the police officer had got her after she and Clark made their official statements. The officer had joked that the teens were getting well acqainted with the procedure._

_"When I was widdle, I didn't like being left alone," Chloe said with a bit of a chatter of her teeth._

_"Really? That doesn't sound like you at all," Clark joshed, and she scrunched her nose at him._

_"I am trying to be serious, smartie," She said and waited until he gave her his rapt attention. "ANYWAYS, I woke up from a nap and pulled myself out of the crib."_

_"Crib? How old were you?" Clark asked and grabbed her boot; it was frozen in the pool. He massaged the ankle through the boot's leather. "This foot always seems to take the brunt of all your foot related predicaments."_

_"Yeah, that foot gets all the trouble," Chloe whispered; even through the leather, his touch was gentle and felt reallllllly good. "And I was 2 and a half years old," she said, getting back to her tale, her voice more controlled. Clark smiled and she continued on. "I was wailing for Mom or Daddy to get me, and by the time Daddy got to my room, I flipped head-first over railing."_

_"No way," Clark gasped. He looked at her face for any scars, but her skin was flawless._

_"Way," Chloe smiled, skin blushed; saying 'no way' was her thing and she liked that Clark picked it up and how he just looked at her. "Daddy didn't get to me. Instead, he said before I caved my head on the floor, I somehow just stopped falling and just landed on the floor like I was being set on it."_

_"Wow," Clark said quietly, with a shake of his head._

_"Guardian Angel at work," Chloe nodded. "Wasn't until we moved to Smallville, I needed him again. Since then, Daddy says I have been working my guardian angel and you overtime." They were both laughing when Gabe drove up and took them home. Chloe didn't tell Clark that her dad thought that the boy she had a crush on was her other guardian angel. Or that she agreed._

Clark wasn't laughing now. He plummeted, he wished he had a guardian angel to catch him, her guardian angel, something, anything to protect him from the impact, something to take the the agony he felt in his head. He fought closing his eyes, afraid he might never open them again, and watched the monkey get smaller and the top of the tower rapidly pulled away. All the teen could do was wait, wait for the impact to occur. He twisted himself while he dropped, and saw the hard rocky ground.

He slammed into the ground; his chest, face, hips, knees, and feet slammed into the unforgiving terrain. The crash sent a seismic wave through the strata of the hill and sent one of utter pain through Clark. He screamed and his lungs seized, his breath lost, the thoughts of Chloe lost, his own idea that he really couldn't be hurt lost in the reverberation of the impact. Anyone else would have shattered, but he squirmed in the indentation that his body made in the turf. Darkness swirled in the around the edges of his pupils, ready to cover his world in darkness.

Then he remembered: the unique understanding of who he _was_, what he could _do_, what he _needed_ to do:

**_Save Chloe Sullivan_**.

Clark knew in order to do _that_, he had stay awake.

He wheezed until he got his breath back, and Clark cried out in anguish. He touched his face, where his girlfriend had caressed just an hour ago, and his stomach went queasy at the sight of his blood. He had never seen his own blood; nothing had ever cut him before. He cradled his head, the pain unbearable. Getting hit by Lex's Porsche was nothing compared to what the teen suffered.

Then he remembered: the unique understanding of who he _was_, what he could do, what he _needed_ to do:

**_Save Chloe Sullivan_**.

Clark knew in order to do _that_, he had to get up, had to stand. He had to_ make _a stand.

Bloody and beat down, Clark stood up, stood tall, and looked up at the tower, looked to where the monster was, to where his girlfriend was, and decided that he was going to bring her to safety. Or die trying. Because, that's what Chloe would do for him: die trying whatever he needed her to do for him. He shrugged off his jacket, once shiny and new, now the denim sleeves ripped on the rocks, and wiped his blood on his shirt. He was going to run and climb as fast and hard as he could, and save her. He took off, wincing in pain with each blindingly fast step.

Beppo's gaze first landed on Chloe's leather boot, scuffed and now speckled with her blood. Then it traveled up her leg, her calf and thigh. Both of which should have been a creamy smooth peachy color even in the moonlight, but now were black from fresh wounds that had continued to bleed after the monster wiped them clean. He stepped closer, looked at how the shirt and tank underneath it was torn at the neckline, the scoop created by Lana scalloped more so, revealing more bloodied skin. Despite the cuts on her face, the monster thought her face was beautiful. Chloe was beautiful enough for Beppo to kill for, and she was the reward for him doing so. The monster lost himself, nodding and grinning, his gaze going under the frayed hem of Chloe's mini-skirt.

Chloe's guardian angel kept Beppo's attention on the unconscious girl in front of him, instead of other things.

Like her other guardian angel behind him.

Clark, now on the platform, saw Beppo step closer to Chloe. Clark's teeth clenched, his jaw muscles tighten. He was mad and, this time, ready to fight the monster.

_**Sometimes Guandian Angels do more than defend. Sometimes they go into battle.**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**Chapter Twenty-Six**_

"**YOU ANIMAL**!" Clark yelled, and with that warcry, **_The Battle for Chloe Sullivan _**started again. Before Beppo could move, the livid teen grabbed the monster by the scruff of the neck and threw the monster's body up against the antenna spire. Anyone tuned to KROK heard the singer Dido's airy hit, "Thank You" playing.

_"It's Not So Bad, It's Not So Bad...I Want To Thank You ...For Giving Me The...Best Day Of My Life...Oh, oh, Just To Be With You ...Is Having the Best Day Of my _**SSSSSSHHHHHHHKKKK**

The blow shook the all of the electronics, satellite dishes, and the entire spire's structure wobbled ominously. Listeners wondered why Dido's pop hit disappeared; KROK's radio station reception for Lowell County went dead.

Beppo growled off the pain of the impact and bolted off the spire. The monster let loose a primal scream when his paws clawed into Clark's face. The teen's scream this time was less bravado and more full of fright and he stumbled back, slapping at the paws. Clark closed his eyes, not wanting them ripped out, and the monster kept clawing at him. Clark caught his balance inches from the edge of the platform. He winced when the beast's fingernails raked his skin, shredding the cheeks. But the young man punched Beppo hard in the ribs, both fists pummeling the monster's sides. His balled up fists flashed and Beppo felt his ribcage start to compress with each blow after blow after blow; Clark landed at least 40 in the time a human could land 5 punches. The monster wailed, and was forced to retreat, jumping away from Clark.

The hurting teen realized he never been a fight before; sure, he had intimidated people and anytime he did 'fight', it was a punch and a throw and the whole mess was over. Pete was the one that was the scrapper, and had actually fought for Clark, when the Clark turned the other cheek. Now, with his cheeks that dripped blood, Clark knew he was in the biggest fight of his life, and it was all for Chloe.

Wiping away the blood, Clark saw the glowing green eyes of Beppo between the metal crossbeams. The monster stood on the other side of the spire. As long as the monster was conscious, Clark knew that the beast was a threat still to Chloe. The teen went after him, following the monster around the platform. He tried to be careful since the metal flooring wasn't very wide or stable with the missing girder. The platform shook with each of Clark's boot-stomps: with Chloe so close to the edge herself, he didn't want her somehow falling off.

Beppo, on the other hand, wanted The Tall One dead by any means necessary. He backflipped, his controlled momentum taking him over the side. He caught onto the steel framework and, with a furious hoot, tore off another girder. The platform teetered; Chloe's prone body was close to the center and in no way close to rolling off the edge...yet.

Clark lurched forward and watched Beppo catapult over him, the beam in his paw. Even before the monstrous monkey landed on the platform, Beppo swung the thick beam like the bat that The Nice But Now Dead One gave him when they played Wiffle Ball. The girder seemed as light as the yellow plastic bat and it struck Clark's raised forearm; the teen tried to protect himself. But the blow and the meteorite's still lingering effects caused Clark to careen over the side.

"**NO**!" Clark yelled. This time he had enough recognizance to reach out and grab a girder while he fell. He squeezed so hard that the metal squished between his fingers.

Beppo smiled a toothy grin. He raised the beam over his head and brought it down, the metal edges whistling in the air, down fast, down onto Clark's fingers.

"**OH MY GOD**!" Clark screamed. He thought that the blow to the head and falling 260 feet or so was agonizing. But no. Beppo slamming the girder on his knuckles, slamming and tearing what he thought was unbreakable skin, slamming down and creating unbelievable anguish. **"ARRRRRGH!"**

The beam slammed down yet again, the edge this time on Clark's pinkie finger and the teen yanked away his hand. All the teen could do was dangle along the edge, his hand throbbing. Beppo looked down and Clark looked up. With a sneer, the monster took one more swing.

Clark watched the beam come down again, like a guillotine's blade. He concentrated and fiery spurts shot from his eyes. He groaned, his head pounded, the strain to activate his heat-vision nearly wiped him out. Grunting, he kept popping off spurts; not a single long blast, but seven short staccato shots.

Beppo screeched when the spurts splattered on its paws, burning the fingers, wrist and forearm. He simply dropped the beam while his flesh burned; the smell of singed monkey hair filled the air. The monster was wounded, and he hopped back, clutching his paw.

Despite the pain, Clark climbed back up, one bloody hand-hold at a time and when he reached the top, he eye-jaculated his heat vision blasts at Beppo. Now the murderous monkey was on the defense, jumping around crazily, dodging the shots, hopping and twirling and evading the fiery bolts.

So wrapped up in their Battle, the combatants didn't realize two things: the missed bolts were hitting various points on the platform, spire and support beams, melting the steel and Beppo's frantic hopping was weakening the structure even further.

Neither of them heard the various stress-points breaking...

Beppo looked down while he hopped away from Clark's eye-jaculations. He saw that his paw was a mass of burning monkey musculature. The fact that fire that shot from The Tall One's eyes was amazing to the monster and he knew that he had to kill the boy quick, kill him somehow.

Evading the fire-blasts, Beppo worked his way higher on the wobbling antenna spire. He stopped moving and became a stationary target. Clark focused on him. When he saw The Tall One's eyes glow red, ready to pop off another spurt of liquid fire, the monster leaped high into the starry sky, twirled over The Tall One, and dropped onto a very shocked Clark Kent. Still affected by the meteorite deep below the antenna tower, still weakened by the girder blows to his hands and head and the 260 foot fall, the young man stumbled under the momentum of the monkey's downward motion and Clark fell to his knees.

**"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON GOW AHHHHHHHHHH!"**

Farmers in the surrounding areas had to run to their pens, stalls and stables to calm their livestock after the animals heard Beppo's bloodcurdling cry when the monster raked his fingernails over Clark's face, reaching and hooking into its target: The Tall One's mouth. Clark's eyes went wide with terror when he felt Beppo's feet digging into his shoulder-blades, felt the toes curl over his collarbones, felt the beast's ten fingers, the crispy burnt fingers in particular, in his mouth tightening against his soft inner cheeks, and finally the horror he felt was real when the monster snapped The Tall One's head back. Beppo twisted and yanked, falling back onto his haunches, desperately trying to rip off the top of The Tall One's skull.

The pain in his neck increasing, the brachial nerves that governed his arm's motor functions burning, Clark still managed to crawl on the buckling platform with Beppo on his back. Each movement of setting his palm down, setting his knee down and moving forward was sheer agony. One yank and twist made Clark drop to his chest. The monkey enjoyed torturing Clark, enjoyed tormenting him now by slamming The Tall One's chin into the platform, cutting him. The flooring was rattling with the blows, the chin creating dents in it, and fallen warrior's blood spurted from the cuts.

Clark's world was slowly fraying at the edges; slowly the color was seeping into just blackness, all he heard was the monster's happy yips and yaps. Each eyeball rolled in its' socket, the pupils going in different directions. Ready to give in, give in to the pain, to the monster, Clark closed his eyes.

Then he heard the familiar tha-thump of Chloe's heartbeat. Then he heard her soft breathing. The soft scent of her skin, tinged with the copper of her blood was breathed in by the teen. He opened his eyes and his pupils, once dilated and vision blurry focused in on the one constant thing in his life: Chloe Sullivan. If he didn't do anything the monster would _touch_ her..._touch her **there**_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Clark's yell startled Beppo; the monster thought The Tall One was all but dead. But that wasn't the case. Clark eye-jaculated the flooring, melting the platform. Clark wasn't affected much by the burning flooring; he didn't care: he just needed to live, needed to get the monster away from the girl that he loved. The softened slag gave away and both Clark and Beppo fell through the hole.

Suddenly falling down the center of the tower with the glops of metal, Clark instinctively reached out. His hand slapped on several girders until he clasped one. His body swung and he slammed into the beams. He winced and just when he thought he was safe, he didn't feel the monster's fingers in his mouth or his weight on his back.

Beppo jumped free of The Tall One and they fell. He swung on the bars and beams watching the Tall One clang against the structure. The monster felt it was time to escape, escape with his prize. Easily, Beppo traveled up the tower and hopped onto the shaky platform. He walked toward The Blonde.

Clark scaled the crossbeams fast, scanning for the monkey, waiting for another attack. Then he heard the paws of the beast slap onto the platform. The teen looked up and concentrated: his x-ray vision wasn't crystal clear, but he did manage to make out the beast's form moving in Chloe's direction. With a deep breath of chilly air, Clark hustled up the tower, determined to stop the beast, determined to never let that monkey touch Chloe _again_.

"CHLOE!"

A powerful emotion possessed Clark that was stronger that the effect of the meteor. The weakness in his body dissipated. The sensation that ran through his whole being was Love, his love for Chloe and the love she had for him. Clark gritted his teeth, flexed his knees, and launched himself upwards, his body temporarily breaking the law of gravity. It was like he was flying, almost flying, possibly flying, unbelievably flying the 40 feet from where he dangled up to the platform, and he didn't even care about his fear of flying or heights. What drove him was his fear of losing Chloe. He grabbed the melted, softened edges of the gaping hole and propelled through and, some how, he knew to angle his body, to change his leap's momentum, and he soared toward The Beast. Fists in front of him, boots behind, Clark was a projectile, a missile shooting straght at the monster. But as fast as he soared, he still wouldn't get to Beppo in time.

The Beast - Beppo - reached for his unrequited love The Blonde - Chloe Sullivan - ready to escape from the Tall One. "Escape somewhere. Anywhere. Gotham, Coast City," The Monster thought. That's where he would take his prize.

Clark Knew how to save Chloe. Knew how to arrive in time. Knew how to protect her.

Again.

The Monster's arm stretched.

Clark's eyes glowed red.

The beast's paw moved closer, inches from Chloe's skin.

Clark aimed and shot a wad of liquid fire.

Beppo turned and saw the Tall One zooming at him.

Then the monster saw the wavy trails of the blast.

Just when the blast hit the paw.

But the blast didn't burn the hand like before. No. The intensity of the blast was amazing; it was based on Clark's unfiltered desire to keep the murderous monkey away from Chloe, to keep the monkey's paw from touching her again.

Beppo screamed as the blast incinerated his hand **_off_**.

The monkey's eyes went wide. He looked where his hand was, looked at the cauterized nub just below where his wrist was, looked where the surrounding flesh was now a blackened scarred mass. The fresh air he breathed in was fouled by the stench of burned hair, charred bone, and sizzling fat, and he looked at the wind take the ashes of his left paw, and scatter them over the hillside.

The monster looked at The Tall One, again.

Clark's fists were a second from the chimp's chest.

Beppo opened his mouth to scream.

A second later, both fists, powered by fear, hope, anger, and love collided with the monkey's chest.

The scream never started.

Beppo staggered and clutched his chest; it was shattered from the impact, the breastplate crumpling under the force of the double punch. The ribcage caved in, sending jagged shards and craggy splinters into Beppo's vital organs. The monkey's heart, all 4 chambers, were penetrated by thousands of pieces of bone, his lungs popping by the pieces that pierced the greenish main component of his respiratory system.

Clark looked at Beppo. The monkey looked back at the teen quizzically: his last few breaths that came from Beppo were bubbly, frothy on his lips, blood mixing with the exhales. Inhaling was no longer a viable, automatic option. He dropped to his knees.

The chimpanzee, now just simply a chimpanzee named Beppo said what he been trying to say perfectly, correctly for the last several days, the word that meant so much to him. The word he said with his last breath:

"CHLOE."

The chimpanzee reached with his only paw to touch Chloe.

But he didn't. He couldn't. Everything in the monkey's body suddenly stopped working: He seized up, mid-reach, mid-exhale, mid-blink, mid-heartbeat.

The monkey fell over side of the platform, and Clark rushed over and watched the chimpanzee, Beppo so-called the Missing Link, hitting girders on way down. He winced when he saw the chimp's body fall, splattering on the ground.

Clark turned away.

He looked at Chloe. And smiled. She was safe. Again.

But Clark hadn't completely saved Chloe.

Then the tower shook precariously, and all the girders roared, breaking, snapping in half. Clark saw the platform she was passed out on buckle, rivets breaking, the section separating from the tower and falling away.

The sound of the metal breaking was awful to Clark. But worse to him was that several more sections dropped away, and he didn't want a simliar fate to occur to Chloe. In one seamless motion, he jumped onto the platform that Chloe was laid out on, scooped her up into his arms, and without hesitation, he used his superspeed to run down the beams of the antenna tower. Clark again felt confident in himself, in his powers, and his abilities and he thought it was because he now had Chloe in his protective embrace. He ran without missing a step, each boot planting firmly on the vertical support girders and he finally stopped over the slight rise of the hill.

Clark heard a deep creaking sound coming from KROK's antenna tower, the monument to Smallville's spirit after the meteor shower, the battleground for two combatants brought together by the same catastrophe. The tower was built to withstand forces of nature, but NOT the superhuman variety. With so many support beams damaged or broken or used as a weapon during the fight, the top part of the tower finally collapsed. The heroic teen shielded his girlfriend's body from the dirt and rocks that would have pelted her when the massive tower collapsed in on itself.

Chloe first noticed the scent of fresh dirt when she awakened. Her eyes still closed, she sniffed, searching and finding what she wanted, the scent of Clark's cologne. She opened her eyes and saw her loved one's face, smudged with dirt, and blood. She didn't have a nightmare; no, everything that happened was real. Beppo kidnapped her and hurt her; the pains in her head, arms and legs started to pulsate again. She rubbed her eyes and focused on Clark's face again. The full moon was a bright glowing light behind his head; it looked like a halo. _A halo like her guardian angel had_, she imagined. He smiled at Chloe while he cradled her. She tried to smile back, but instead, Chloe cried, in pain from the injuries, and in relief to be in Clark's arms. She wrapped her good arm around Clark and hugged him, her tears soaking his shirt. Clark delicately held her back.

"Clark, hold me," Chloe sobbed, "I'll take your hands on me over that monkey's anytime." She pressed into her guardian angel's body, and he held her tighter. She closed her eyes happy that she was safe now. She let him rock her gently, rub her back, hold her until she stopped crying.

"Are you ok?" Clark asked, looking down at her.

"That's _always_ the first question you ask after you save my butt," Chloe snarked, looking up at him. "Speaking of which, thanks to Beppo's fashion sense, it's sorta showing."

"I'm not looking," Clark said. She smiled at her gentleman hero, and she shifted and tugged down her mini-skirt as best as she could; he _now _was looking at the trails of lights in the distance; one was police lights swirling.

"Oh my god," She gasped, looking at where the tower had been, looking at the twisted metal. She looked back at her boyfriend. "What the HECK happened?"

"Umm," Clark said; that's what he _always_ answered after she asked that question.

Chloe socked his chest softly; she knew he was evading her question. Why, she didn't know. But she knew one day she'd find out. His grip loosened and she worried that if she pried at his secretive nature, asked more questions, he'd let her go.

"I yelled your name...and you found me," she said, setting aside her reporter's nature, for now. "Just like you said."

"I'll _always_ find you," Clark said easily, and Chloe didn't doubt that. She snugged into him more.

"I hate Beppo," She whispered and shivered.

"He's dead" Clark whispered back. She slowly nodded.

"How did you stop him?" Her voice was tiny.

"Adrenaline, I guess...nothing was going to stop me from getting you back," Clark said simply and Chloe hugged tighter.

"Kent charm...Kent heroics...All that just for me?" She smiled.

"Didn't I did promise to protect you forever?" Clark asked his girlfriend.

She nodded slowly and her smile grew larger when he leaned in.

"I'm a mess," She whispered. "I'm all bloody and dirty and ..."

"You're beautiful," He whispered.

"Oh," She breathlessly said. Her lips made a perfect circle, and Clark leaned in closer, wanting to touch that perfection with his lips.


	27. Chapter 27

_**Chapter Twenty-Seven**_

Clark Kent gently pulled Chloe Sullivan closer to him, careful, mindful of her various injuries, on her arm and legs. She winced when she wrapped her arms around him, and he did the same to her, and they looked at each other. They couldn't help but feel each other's skin; their clothes were tatters for the most part. Her fingers slipping between the slices on his shirt, feeling his skin, his hands slipping into the rips of her shirt, making her shiver while he caressed. She sighed when he gave her a grin; she loved his dimples. Clark dipped his head and Chloe tilted her head; her little hand traveled to his face, and she laid her palm on his cheek.

There was a time when Chloe couldn't wait for the moment, the moment when Clark kissed her. She thought of how she wanted to be kissed, like on the bus, on the ride to school that morning, with everyone watching. Or last weekend at the Talon theater, watching 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. Or right after she kissed him in the barn. Oh how she wished he kissed back, not afraid. Or that he ask her back to the barn, not to do stupid homework, but to kiss.

Chloe also used to wonder if Clark ever was going to kiss her. She knew that, for some odd reason, he had a crush on Lana Lang; pretty much every boy in 8th grade had one on her. Chloe suffered through all of 8th grade being his friend, his girl-dash-friend, platonic on his end, completely in love on her's. It didn't help that he saved her life on a regular schedule. Worse, they hung out together more often. Not dating, they said to friends, and when she'd say that, her heart broke just a bit.

But right now, Chloe Sullivan **_savored_ **the moment.

Then she started**_ thinking _**about the moment.

"Oh my god...I know I'm all icky looking... My Clark's gotta be hugging a scab... I'm like a human scrape... He's all dirty... He looks hot dirty... My hair's gotta be screwed up... My clothes are all ripped... I hope I'm not showing off the goods...or maybe its not enough? what would Lana say?...His clothes are ripped up too...That's hot... He's always hot... Blood's everywhere...eww...That's bad... Lips still glossy, though... My breath...oh my god, I hope its not all nasty," She rambled on quickly, panicky. **"OH MY GOD...I BETTER NOT STINK LIKE THAT MONKEY!... "**

"You're beautiful," Clark whispered, breaking her out of her ritualistic nervous talking.

"I was saying the thinking stuff, huh?" Chloe whispered. Clark nodded. "Must be the concussion talking," she smiled. "I'm not stinky?"

"You don't..._stink_," He said. He could smell through the soap, the perfume, and the stench of the monkey the sweet scent of her skin.

"You're not stinky _either_," She lied, too, with a smile.

"I want to do this," Clark said, inching closer.

"Me too," Chloe answered, all breathy.

"I should have kissed you last year," Clark admitted, lips oh so close.

"Kiss me now," Chloe demanded sweetly.

Clark always took Chloe's advice...

Clark leaned in and brushed his nose along Chloe's, and felt her soft breath on his lips.

Then He **_kissed_** her.

Their lips connected, lightly at first. Tenatively. Then Clark pressed in, boldly, opening his mouth and sucking on Chloe's bottom lip. She mewed into his mouth, pressing into his body, holding him tight.

Clark suckled on her lip, tasting the melon gloss on her, wondering why he never called her back to the barn after they kissed, why he wasted so much time not kissing her.

They shifted, lips, arms, bodies moving, still kissing, and Chloe now was sucking on his lip. She gripped his t-shirt and ripped it more, moaning with each breath.

Clark lifted her easily onto his thighs, cradling her while he knelt. She sat, wiggling, leaning over, her arms wrapping around his neck. Clark surprised her by sliding his hand over her hip and around into her back pocket. She smiled in the kiss.

Kissing, both teens felt a blissful sensation, beyond the simple 'we're kissing'. Something more powerful, something innate was emiting from them. They began to glow; not a ugly green glow, nor an aggressive red glow. Chloe and Clark had a white glow around them and their bodies, minds, and souls were awash in a peaceful tranquility.

In that glow, Chloe's injuries began to heal. The worst cuts closed and the skin began to patch together. No scabs, just light pink marks.

In the same glow, Clark started to float. He held Chloe, locked in the kiss while their bodies hovered inches from the ground. Then Clark silently slowly spiraled up away from the dirt, higher and higher.

Neither teen noticed what was taking place; they were kissing, putting a year's worth of yearning, lost time and wishes into that kiss, one long tender moment of love that they harbored, finally expressed.

_**The Kiss. The Connection. Chloe and Clark.**_

_In a pasture, deep under ground, an octagonal disc glows and shakes, loosening the dirt, waking the sleeping cows above it. Somewhere in a cave, engraved in the stone is an octagonal groove, and it too glows. In the Kent storm celler, the ship that brought Clark to Earth hums to life. All activating, all augmenting Clark extra-terrestrial powers, all they need is a terrestrial source. Clark keeps kissing Chloe. She is the source._

_she is benediction_

_she is addicted to thee_

_she is the root connection_

_she is connecting with he_

_here I go and I don't know why_

_I fell so ceaselessly_

_could it be he's taking over me..._

_I'm dancing barefoot_

_heading for a spin_

_some strange music draws me in_

_makes me come on like some heroin/e_

_she is sublimation_

_she is the essence of thee_

_she is concentrating on_

_he, who is chosen by she_

_here I go and I don't know why_

_I spin so ceaselessly,_

_could it be he's taking over me..._

_chorus_

_she is re-creation_

_she, intoxicated by thee_

_she has the slow sensation that_

_he is levitating with she ..._

_here I go and I don't know why,_

_I spin so ceaselessly,_

_'til I lose my sense of gravity..._

_chorus_

_(oh god I fell for you ...)_

_the plot of our life sweats in the dark like a face_

_the mystery of childbirth, of childhood itself_

_grave visitations_

_what is it that calls to us?_

_why must we pray screaming?_

_why must not death be redefined?_

_we shut our eyes we stretch out our arms_

_and whirl on a pane of glass_

_an afixiation a fix on anything the line of life the limb of a tree_

_the hands of he and the promise that s/he is blessed among women._

_(oh god I fell for you ...)_

_**Dancing Barefoot**_

_**By Patti Smith**_


	28. Chapter 28

_**Chapter Twenty-Eight**_

The siren of Sheriff Ethan's cruiser and the headlights of Whitney's Dodge truck, Lex's Escalade, and Erica's Acura followed behind. There were other cars following, too; word that something happening at the tower spread fast among the teens. If anyone looked up into the night sky, they'ed see Clark and Chloe in the moonlight. When the cars went up the dirt path to the tower site, Clark and Chloe spiraled down.

When Clark's boots touched the ground, all three Kryptonian artifacts stop glowing.

The sheriff and ambulance were the first to arrive on site, the headlights casting on the still kissing teens. Whitney and Erica pulled up behind the squad cars, and Lex's Escalade stopped higher on the hill. Chloe slid down Clark's chest, still kissing him. Everyone, from Sheriff Ethan, who likened Chloe and Clark to Nancy Drew and one of the Hardy boys, to Lex, who wondered how the tower collapsed, smiling, seeing the teens kissing. Chloe realized that people were looking at them, and she had to push away from the kiss; the connection between their lips was magnetic.

"I'm sorry its not in the moonlight on the ferris wheel," Clark whispered, holding Chloe's hips.

"I have a feeling we'll be kissing by more by emergency lights than moonlight, anyways, Clark," Chloe sweetly snarked. Clark kissed Chloe again. Lex started to clap. He was joined by the rest of the teens' friends. Chloe and Clark both blushed at the ovation.

"Call me?" Chloe asked.

"Of course," Clark smiled. They turned, smiled at everyone, and walked toward them, the date, the night, the carnival coming to an end.


	29. Chapter 29

_**EPILOGUE**_

_**Chloe/Lana phone call:**_

Chloe: OHMIGOD!

Lana: I saw! It looked dreamy!

Chloe: it was! I didn't want the kiss to end!

Lana: If you take away all the deaths and other gross stuff, it was really romantic!

Chloe: Umm...yeah. Hey, thanks again.

Lana: You're welcome, and thank you...Whitney loved the tank top

Chloe: really?

Lana: lets just say...a dry cleaning is in order

Chloe: _laughs_

Lana: Bye...Call me tomorrow.

Chloe: Ok...'Night.

_Chloe puts the ticket stub, the carnival flyer and pieces of Clark's t-shirt in a scrapbook. She closes the scrapbook. She smiles at the cover: it had a heart that could hold a picture; she had a picture of her and Clark that Pete took that summer in the snug holder. Chloe writes Chloe/Clark Forever under the picture, and hides the scrapbook under her bed and waits for Clark's phone call..._

_**Clark/Pete phone call:**_

Clark: dude...ok ...the details...

Pete: bro...a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell

Clark: I thought you wanted details?

Pete: I saw it...and I just wanted to talk to My best friend on his big night...

Clark: it was a crazy night

Pete: expect less?

Clark: nowadays no...

Pete: Me and Erica are gunna head to Grandville's Mall...and she wants you and Chloe to hang with us...

Clark: I'll ask her out when I call

Pete: ask her out? smooth my man...smooth

Clark: bye man

Pete: bye

_**Chloe and Clark phone call:**_

Clark: hi

Chloe: hi

Clark: still headachy?

Chloe: no...I could have sworn I had a concussion, too. I do have lots of pink marks, but no cuts. Dad's glad.

Clark: great

Chloe: yeah

Clark: Pete says Erica wants us to go with them to the mall

Chloe: ok

Clark: I want you to go out with me Sunday

Chloe: ok

Clark: wanna know where?

Chloe: I already said I'll follow you anywhere...

Clark: oh...

Chloe: you're blushing, huh?

Clark: yeah

Chloe: you're so cute when you do that...I have to confess: I have your PE shirt...some flannels...a pair of pants...baby pictures...I have like a trunk full of stuff...

Clark: wow

Chloe: I have your rocket ship

Clark: WHAT?

Chloe: Your mom showed me the little rocket ship you used to play with when you were widdle; I snitched it.

Clark: Ohhhhhh...ok

Chloe: want them back?

Clark: whenever you want to give them back, sure

Chloe: ok...just don't let your mom look the pocket's m'kay?

Clark: m'kay...but you have something of mine you can't give back

Chloe: what?

Clark: My heart

Chloe: oh wow...umm...can you kiss me like that every time you save me?

Clark: how about I just kiss you anytime? seems less dangerous...

Chloe: I'd like that

Clark: I really liked the gloss

Chloe: I'll wear it all the time

Clark: its late...

Chloe: yeah

Clark: good night... snugglebunny

Chloe: you actually have to snuggle me to call me that

Clark: well...we have Satyrday and sunday to practice...

Chloe: ok...night night

Clark: night...and Chloe?

Chloe: yes, Clark?

Clark: I forgot to say something.

Chloe: what?

Clark: I love you

Chloe: I love you too

_They hung up, went to bed, and dreamed of longer kisses...without any interruptions..._


	30. Chapter 30

_**POSTSCRIPT**_

A few weeks later...

In the darkened room, surrounded by Clark Kent memorabilia, Lex Luthor stands in front of a six foot tall case lit by a single spotlight.

Inside the specially designed case is the secretly acquired remains of Beppo.

Tess Macher hands Lex a final report that indicates the carcass contains shattered bones, but skin of the beast is unpenetrable.

Lex looks first at the burned nub at the monkey's wrist and next at the fist-sized indentations in the animal's chest. Tess adjusts her glasses and walks away. Lex is left alone to wonder one thought...

"Clark..._how_ do you do the things you _do_?"

_**The End**_

_**Author's Note:**_

_Special thanks to al My editors and My fact-checkersat the beginning of the story and those that made it to the end! I seriously could not have done this story without you! Big thanks to those that read the story at K-Site, sticking through over 2 months of Chlarky goodness (making this story K-Site's Most Read and Most Replied-Upon Story) and all those that jumped on the ride recently!_

_turns off the calliope music, turns off the rides, shuts off the lights, and locks the gate_

_**The Carnival is closed...now go home! **_


End file.
